TenseiShitaraSlimedattaken

OriginalWebnovelbyFuse

CREDITS:

Chapter045:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter046:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter047:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter048:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter049:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter050:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter051:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter052:

translator:KumaHanaTeam

Chapter053:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter054:

translator:KumaHanaTeam

Chapter055:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter056:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter057:

translator:Guro

Chapter058:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter059:

translator:KumaHanaTeam

Chapter060:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter061:

translator:Guro

Chapter062:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter063:

translator:Clown’sTeam

Chapter064:

translator:Clown'sTeam

Volume3&4images:

provider:Clown

Guro'sEditor-TheDefend

Clown’sTeam

Translator–TheClown

Editor–AncientKaiser

KumaHanaTeam

Translator–Smoggy

Editor–Yuuka

Epubprovidedby:

randomperson

Clown’snote:Pleasebeadvisedthatthepicturesprovidedherearefromalightnovelandnotthewebnovel.Therefore,theymightnotmatch.Pleasedonotaskwhyacertainsceneisdepicteddifferentlyhere.Especiallysoforthisarc:theauthorseparatedthisarcintotwodifferentlightnovels:volume3andvolume4.Alotoftheseimageswillnotmatchthestory.

randomperson'snote:Thereweresomepicturesthatwereforthenewcontentinthelightnovels.Itriedtonotincludethose...

TenseiShitaraSlimedattaken

-RegardingReincarnatedtoSlime-

LifeintheRoyalCapitalArc

CHAPTER045-ThosewhoObserve

CHAPTER046-ACountry’snameandtwotreaties

CHAPTER047-ACity’sSpecialty

CHAPTER048-DemonLords’Invasion

CHAPTER049-Milim’sCommotion

CHAPTER050-FrontierGarrison

CHAPTER051-Tothehumancity

CHAPTER052-Journey

CHAPTER053-FreedomAssociation

CHAPTER054-Business~TheStartofaTrade

CHAPTER055-AdventurerRegistration

CHAPTER056-IngraciaKingdom

CHAPTER057-ToLearnMagic

CHAPTER058-TheSummoned~thosewhoarecalledheroes~

CHAPTER059-TheChurchMoved

CHAPTER060-It’sSudden,butlet’stestitnow

CHAPTER061-TheFirstDungeonConquest

CHAPTER062-ASpiritis…

CHAPTER063-ChildrenandGhosts

CHAPTER064-LastdaysintheRoyalCapital

Chapter45–ThoseWhoObserve

Uponreadingthereportfromtheespionagedivision,theDwarfKingGazelleDwargofellintodeepconsideration.Thedivision,whomheaskedtomonitorthatpeculiarslime,hasreportedfactshecouldnotignore.

Acitybuiltformonsters.

Weretheyjoking?Hethoughtsoforasecond,butthespiesnevertoldjokes.Theyfranklydeliveredtheirreport.Andthen,theunbelievabletalecontinued.

Theorcsarmyhadinvaded.Thedespondentstateofthelizardmen.Thewarendingduetotheappearanceofamysteriousarmy.Thearmyprobablyaretheclansmenofthesaidslime.

Holdingupthelettertoacandle,heburnedit.And,closinghiseyes,hetriedtosortallthenewinformation.Currently,therewerefewcasualtiesintheforestdespitetheriseinmonsters’activity.IthasincreasedslightlysincewhenVeldorawasthere,butisstillsimilartolastyears’statistics.Theyhadbeenexpectingthenumbertodouble,atleast.So,someoneisenforcingtheorderintheforest.Chancesare,thatsomeonehassomethingtodowiththatslime.Andtheorcsstoppedtheirinvasion.Hadthey,forexample,rushedintodwarfs’citiesaninsanenumberofpeoplewouldhavebeenkilled.Itwouldbefoolishtoexpectthattheorcswouldnothaveattackedthedwarfs.Buthecan’tjustpraisegoodluckandforgetaboutthewholeincident.Hemusturgentlymeettheonesresponsible.Sothekingquicklydecided.

Hedefinitelywantedtoavoidmakinganenemyofthem.Rather,he’dbehappyiftheycouldcooperateinthefuture.Perhapstheshouldcarefullystartnegotiatingwiththemwhileignoringthedeportationincident.Or…perhapstheyshouldresorttoamorereliablemethod.Havingmadehisdecision,theKingbegantomove.

＊　＊　＊

Thefourdemonlordsdecidedagainstindependentactionconcerningtheforest.Therewasnoprobleminthisregard.However,theyimmediatelystartedbickeringwhenitcametowhowillmonitorthesituation.

Withanappearanceofalittlegirl,theDemonLordMilimNavahadthesethoughts.“IfIleaveittotheseblockheads,theyareboundtomessitallup!”Afterall,shesawthemaslittlebutmuscle-for-brainidiots.CertainlythiswasjustthetimeforthecoolandwiseMilimtotakethestage!ThefactthatshehadthrownatableatGelmudomomentspriorcompletelyescapedher.Infact,thegirlherselfwasoneofthosemuscle-for-brainidiots.Moreover,Shewasthemostshort-temperedandsimpleamongthem;whattherestwouldconsidercommonsensewascompletelylostonher.

TheHarpyQueenandoneoftheDemonLordsFreywasbored.Milimwilljustgoonarampageagain,sosendingherisoutofthequestion.Becausethecleanupwouldbeapain.However,Freycouldnotworkagainsther.ThoughtheywerebothDemonLords,therewasacleardifferenceinpower.Frey’skindarecalledtherulersoftheskies,andsheherselfisknownastheSkyQueen.Itwouldbepreposterousforhertoloseagainstthosewhocan’tfly.Theirspecialability『MagicJamming』cancancelout〈FlightMagic〉spells.Sothosewhocannotflynormallywouldfalltotheirdeath.

Andalthoughdemonlordswouldprobablysurviveeveniftheyfellfromhighinthesky,theywouldbeunabletolandasinglehitonher.Thosewhocan’tflycan’tthreatenher.However,MilimNavadoesn’tfitinthiscategory.ThegirlisaDragonoid.Andthestrongestqueen.Hernickname–“Destroyer”isnotjustforshow.Shedoesn’tusemagicwhenflying.Rather,sheusesherownwings.Nordoesshedependonmagicduringcombat.SoFreywouldbeatcompletedisadvantage.Trulyhernaturalenemy.SoFreywasbasicallyforcedtogoalongwithMilim’swishes.Shemerelyhopedtobeabletocontinuethispassivenessfortherestoftheconference.Hopefullyallwillendpeacefully…Shethought,andletoutasigh.

Lycanthrope’s“LionKing”Karionfeltprettygood.Hehadattendedtheconferencetokillsometime,butwasabletoseesomethinginterestingasaresult.Ihavetomakethoseoniintomysubordinates.Hethought.HarpyQueenFreywasprobablynotinterested.SheprobablyjustwentalongwithMilim’swishes.AsforMilim,shemightbeashort-temperedsimpleton,butsheisbynomeansstupid.Expectingthedisagreementtodevolveintoavote,Karionbroughtfriendswhowouldsupporthim.Whatanimpudentwoman!Hethought,lookingatMilim.Whatanarcissisticfaceshemakes!Inthefirstplace,whowouldhaveexpectedsomeonelikeGelmudotobeabletostirfourdemonlordsintomotion.ThatthoughtwasbroughtupbytheghastlyDemonLordClayman.Gelmudowashisprotege,and,uponreceivingthisrequest,immediatelywenttoClaymantoseekadvice.Whateveryoumaythinkofhim,Gelmudowasthetypeofpersonwhowouldhidehistrueintentionsbehindsthelanguageofapolitegentleman.Now,ClaymanandMilim,whichwasamoreformidablefoe…?Battlestrengthwise,Milimhandsdown.Karionprobablycouldn’tdefeatherbyhimself.Theverythoughtangered

him,butfightingherwithoutanalyzingherbattleabilitiesaheadoftimewouldmostlikelyleadtoadefeat.Ontheotherhand,ifheproperlyprepared,hewouldcertainlybeherequal.No,maybeabitbetter.Claymanisprobablyweakerthantherest.However!Thiscaseisallaboutingenuity.Inotherwords,theeasytodeceiveMilimisoutofthegame.Frey,beingMilim’sfollower,isalsoout!SotherealfoeisClayman.ThatKarionwassureof.Sohowshouldheproceed?Karionwasdeepinthoughplanninghisnextstep.

Claymanworeagentleman’ssmilewhileobservingtheotherthreedemonlords.TheonewhointroducedGelmudototheotherdemonlordswasnoneotherthanhim.Healsopulledsomestringstogetthisallarranged.Gelmudohadplannedtogetthedemonlord’sattentionbypresentinghismagicitemsandarmors,butthatwasboundtofail.SoClaymanhadtoarrangethemeeting.Andhespecificallycalledtwodemonlordsimpletonshere,FullyexpectingthattheHarpyQueenFreywouldalsobebroughtalong.ThoughFreyiscarefulandcunning,sheseemstobeuninterestedinthisincident.Soeverythingwentaccordingtoplan.Twodemonlordswhospecializeincombat.Nomatterhowhardtheythink,theyaresimplynotthatbright.Claymancaneasilystallthem.Guidingtheconversationthewholetime,heeventriedtogetthemonthetopicofavengingGelmudo.Withthatthought,hehadthoughttosay…

「Hey,justathought,buthowaboutwesendoursubordinates,oneeach?Thatway,Icanalsosendoneofmydaughters?」

Freydeclaredwithasomberexpression.

Theotherthreeimmediatelystiffened.“WhileIcouldrejecttheoffer,Iwouldnotbeabletosubstantiatetherefusal.”Thethreethought.Theywouldjusthavetoacceptit.Andaftercheckingtheother ’sexpression,theynodded.

「Fu,fuhaha!Ihadjustbeenplanningtosaythesamemyself!」

「Howstrange,Iaswell!」

「Whattodoifyoutookthewordsrightoutofmymouth…soit’sdecided?」

Andthus,althougheachdemonlordhadintendeddifferently,theydecidedtosentasubordinatethere.Inreality,theyintendedto…Soon,Rimuru’svillagewouldbevisitedbythreedemons.

＊　＊　＊

Threeadventurerswerewalkinginthewoods.Cabal,Elen,andGido.Theycametotheforestonasubjugationrequest.And,bytherequestoftheirGuildMaster,theyalsoweretovisitRimuru’scity.Totheadventurers,thatcitywasheaven.Andtheyakinikuwasdelicious!Butbythetimetheyreturned,thevillagegreatlychangedandexpanded.Now,theycouldevenhavetheirequipmentservicesandhadaguesthousepreparedforthem.Aspresents,theybroughtspicesandsaltfortheseasoning.Notfortheirsake,ofcourse!Patrollingthecityisahobgoblin-wolfcombo;thankstotheirspeedtheyhavebeenensuringthesafetyofthearea.It’sthankstothiscitythattheforesthasgottensomuchsafer.Moreover!Youcangetvariousrareingredientsfromthemforfree!Getthis,PartsofPoisonousSnakeandHornedDeer!Onagoodday,youcaneven

getthehornofanarmorsaurus.Theycouldevenusethesetoclaimtohavefinishedtheguild’ssubjugationrequests.Itis,ofcourse,cheating,butthat’sonlyifyougetcaught.Well,unfortunately,theBrumund’sFreeGuild’smasterFuze,withwhomtheyareaffiliated,isalreadysuspectingthem.Sotheycan’tjustsuddenlybringbacksuchtrophies.Greedwouldonlyleadtotheirdemise,sotheydecidedtoactwithprudence.Andso,Theyareonceagaingoingonasubjugationrequestintheforest!MerrilywalkingtoRimuru’scity.

「Butdamn!Thefoodisgettingbetterandbetter!Isn’tShuna-chanasgoodasthecooksintheroyalcapital?」「Yeah!I’musuallyabitpickyaboutfood,buteverything’sgreatthere!」「Listenup,guys.Wearen’tgoingtheretoeat,youknow!Weactuallyhavealegitimatereasontogotherethistime,remember?」「That’sastupidquestion!」「Yeah!It’sbeentwomonthssincewelastvisited…plentyoftimehaspassed!」「Yes.It’sbeenawhile.But…havetheyfinishedthe“Baths”?Ican’twait!」「TheRoyalCapitalalsohasthose!I’dlovetogotothemsomeday!」「The“WorldTravelers”havebeendemandingthemforalongtime,right?Icanseeitbecomingahabitthough…」「Right?Solookingforwardtoit!Butanyways…Doyouknow,Gido.Thereisawonderfulsystemcalled“mixbathing”inthisworld.Lasttime,Rimuru-dannapassionatelyspokeaboutit.“I’llmakesurethiscityhasit!”Rimiru-dannaexlaimed.Doyougetit,Gido!Wehavefinallyreachedthepromisedland(wherewecanpossiblyenterthebathstogetherwithShuna-samaandShion-san)!」「Wh-whatdidyousay…!!!」

「…Hey,Idon’tmindyouguyshavingfunbyyourselvesoverthere,but

you’regettingleftbehind.」

Thustheycontinuedon.Aimingtowardsayetunseenparadise!And,duringtheirjourney,theywouldmeetsomeonecompletelyunexpected.

＊　＊　＊

TheLandofFarmasKingdom’sCount.BorderingtheJuraForest,itconsideredtheforestinitssphereofinfluence.Patrollingthenearbyvillageswasthecount’sfrontiergarrison.TheywereappointedbyCountNidoleMaigamhimself,andestablishedplentyofroutestoquicklygettovillagesduringanemergency.TheirCaptain’snameisYoumu.Quickwittedandtough,hehasatonedbody,darkenedbythesun.Neithertall,norshort.Helookedasifheneverlethisguarddown.Bynomeansugly;rather,hehasaprettygoodface.Therearethirtypeopleintheirorganization,butithasthreecaptains.Theirfightingforceisalwaysseparatedintothreegroups,withonerestingatbase.Sothatincaseofanemergency,theycanmoveassoonastheyhearofit.Thus,althoughtheyhavesearchedforanappropriatelocationfortheirbase,noneofthevillagesfittheirneeds.Everyoneofthemwasbuiltneartheforest,creatingalargedistancebetweenthem.Thus,eventheclosestvillage,onhorsebackwithprovision,wasaday’sworthaway;forthefurtherones,you’dneedtoprepareacarriage.TheCount’scityisbyfarthemostseparatedandisapoorplacefortheirbase.Moreover,thelifestyleinthevillagescouldhardlybecalledpleasant,sothegarrisondidn’tgetthetreatmenttheyhadwanted.Thatledtogrowingdiscontentamonghissubordinates.Theyhavenotreceivedalargesumofwarfunds,andeveniftheyhad,theywouldn’tbeabletobuyanythingworthofnote.Afterall,theyhadtospendmostofitjustpurchasingweaponsandarmors.

Whathadkeptthesoldiersawayfrommutinywasthefactthatthevillagersweretrulythankful.Toruffiansanddrunkardsthatthesoldierswere,thevillagersofferedheartfelthospitality.Thevillagersunderstoodthattheyweretheretoprotectthemagainstmonsterswhichwastrue,andconsideringhowhonestlytheywerethankedeverytime,thesoldiersdecidedtoworkhardforthevillagerssake.Also,becausethemonstershadn’tattackedasoftenastheCounthadthought,therewerenocasualtiesamongthegarrison.Notjustdeaths–therewerenoheavilyinjuredamongthemeither.Morebittergrasssouptoday…thinkingthus,Youmubroughthistroopsintotheforest.Notwideenoughforacarriage,butahorsecouldtraversethroughit.Thesmalltwigscomingatthemcouldeasilybedeflectedwithmagic.Iftheyhadtotakeacarriagealong,they’dhavetogodownthemountainhighwayroute.Thatdetourwouldcostthemmanydays.Hencetheproblempreviouslydescribed.Atthattime,theyranintoagroupofpeoplewalkingintheforest.Adventurersfromheadtotoe.Didtheycomeonasubjugationrequest?Hethought.Newsfromheresometimesreachesthecitiesandrequestsarenotuncommon.WhilesomeadventurersaresentonbehalfoftheGhostResearchers,whoareattemptingtolearnthoughttransmission,iftherewasanactualsubjugationrequestitwouldhavebeenannouncedateverynearbycity.Thatis,topreventmultiplegroupsfromfulfillingthesamerequest.IftheywereaimingforaGiantBear,thenunfortunatelythesoldiershavealreadykilledit.Fromhowtheylook,theyseemrathercapable.Perhapsitwouldbesmarttomakeacquaintance.Withthatthought,hecalledout,

「Hey!Youguys.Whatareyoudoingouthere?Ifyoucameforagiantbear,you’vewastedyourtime,youknow!」

Andwhenhedid,

「Ah,no.Well,Iguesssubjugatingamonsterisoneofthereasons?」「Danna,whatareyousaying?Ourobjectiveissubjugation,isn’tit?」「Right!Theofficialstory!…crap!」

Theyweretoocareless.Youmulistenedtotheirexchangewhilesurroundingthemwithtroops.Weretheyforeignspies?Whilehehadnodutytocapturethem,he’dbetroublediftheycausedtrouble.Whywouldtheybehereifnotonarequest?Hethought,

「Irepeat,whatareyoudoinghere?Answerme!Ifyoudon’t,youmightloseyourlives!」

Hedidn’tplantokillthem,butneededtointimidatethemabit.Theirexchangeabruptlyended,and,

「Thethingis,weareheadingtoacity…」

Theirrepresentative(?),alargemananswered.Thereisnocityfurtherin.Nodoubtaboutit,theyaresuspicious…shouldIhandthemovertothecount?ButIreallyhatethatguy.Whattodo…?

「No,really!Akindmonster…」「Hey!Whatareyoudoingrevealingthis!」「Don’tlookatme!Iftheytellyou:“don’tcomeagain,”we’llgoonwithoutyou,youknow?」

Theyaretoosuspicioustoignore.Whilelookingatthreebickering,Youmudecided.Hehadtoconfirmtheirwords.

「Whereareyouadventurersfrom?Answer!Don’tattempttohideit.ThesearethelandsofFarmasKingdom’sCount,undertheprotectionofthefrontiergarrison.Iamtheircaptain,Youmu!」

Thethreeexchangedglancedandseemtohavegivenup.

Whileapprehendingspieswasnotpartofhisduties,itwassomethinghecoulddo.Hecouldn’tleavethemalone,afterall.Thecountrieshaveagreedonnotemployingspies.However,whetheranycountryhasactuallykeptthatpromiseisadifferentstory.Whoknowswhatcountrythey’vecomefrom,butonlyanidiotspywouldpretendtobeanadventurer.Spieswouldnormallytaketheirlivesifcornered,buttheseguysdon’tseemtoplanonit.Aretheyreallyadventurers?Whenhethoughtthat,

「No,honestly!But,it’samonster ’scity…Youwouldn’tbelievethatifwehadtoldyou,wouldyou?」「Besides,wedon’twanttocausetroubleforRimuru-san…」「I’mnotinvolvedinthis.Theonewhospilledthebeansisyou,Danna.Whatwouldwedoifwewerebanishedfromthere?」

Andagaintheybeganfighting.Amazed,Youmuthought:couldtheyperhapsnotbelying?Ifso,hehadtocheckitout!

Afterrestrainingthethreeandthrowingthemonahorse,hehadthemshowtheway.Toacityyetunseen.Andamonsterwhowouldplayalargeroleintheirlives.

Chapter46–ACountry’sNameandTwoTreaties

Thecityhasgottenratherpretty.“Beholdtheresultsofmyhardwork!”Isn’tsomethingIcansay,however.Butthataside,Ifussedoverafewthings:toilets,plumbing,insectrepellents,andbaths!ThefirstthreewemadeinJapanesestyle.Ialsobuiltwindowscreensusingspiderthread.Atfirst,wehadbuiltthetoiletseatsoutofwood,butthatwasnogood.Thoughthat’showtheJapanesedidit,itsunbearabletomaintain.Itrots,youknow.SoIturnedtothedwarfs.They’veneverfailedattheirtask,soperhapstheycoulddosomethingaboutthetoiletproblem.『ThoughtManipulation』wasveryusefulthistimearound.Itistheevolvedformof『ThoughtTransmission』butitsusestayedprettymuchthesame.Sousingit,Icouldeasilytransmitanimagetothem.Drawingandexplainingitwouldbehavedifficult,butsendingthemamentalimagewasnot.Eventhenhowever,whenIshowedthemflushtoiletsystemsaying,“Whenyoupushtheleverwaterflowsdown!”,reproducingitwasimpossible.Itcouldbemadewithhighlevelwatermagicstones,whichabsorbwaterfromtheair,buttheyareveryexpensive.Also,sincetheyneedtobefrequentlyreplaced,theyarerarelyusedevenformilitaryobjectives.Honestly,onlytheveryrichcouldaffordtocreatethis.Sincewedon’thavetheneededcapital,wewoulddowithwhatwehave.Inanycase,wecanleavecomplexplumbingsystemsforlater.Sofornow,wesuppliedwatertotubsineveryhouseholdfromwhichonecanthendrawwater.And,afterfillingthetoiletbowlwithwater,youcanthenflushitdown.SoKaijinliveduptohisreputationyetagain.Thus,Ihadstrictlycommandedthemonsterstowatchpersonalhygieneanddentalcare.

Idon’tknowwhethermonsterscandevelopdentalproblems,butthere’snoharminmakingsuretheydon’t.AccordingtoKaijin,adventurerstendtoeitherbefriendpeoplewhoknow〈CleaningMagic〉,orlearnitthemselves.Thatway,theycanavoidstayingdirtyduringlongtrips.Thoughmostlythehighrankingonesconcernedthemselveswiththesethings.Now,abouttheinsectrepellent.Asyou’dexpect,theforesthasalotofbugs.Sinceyoucan’tprotectyourselfagainstthem,there’sachanceofcatchingdiseasestheycarry.Whilethat’snotaproblemforme,theHobgoblinsdogetsick.So,Itriedtofixthisproblem.Iaskedthedwarfstocreateit,buttheycouldn’tdoit.Iguesswe’dhavetogoandbuyitinthehumancities.Thoughwehavenomoney.Iaskedthethreeidiotstogogetit,butthisiswhattheysaid,

「Don’tasktheimpossible!It’ssuperexpensive!」「Besides,wewouldn’tknowhowmuchwe’dneedtobuytocoverawholecitywith!You’dfindthatquantityonlyintheRoyalCapital!」「Rimuru-danna,canyouimaginehowharditwouldbetotransport?」

Iswhattheysaid.Idon’tmindthemcomingovertohangout,buttheyshouldatleastbeofsomeusesometimes.Moreover,theyaregettingtoofriendlywithShuna.Oftencookingtogether,buyingherwares–tryingtogetclosertoher.Andweevenbuiltthemahousetostayinduringtheirvisits.

Themonsters’birthratedroppedtotothatofhumans.Thus,I’llneedtofigureoutwhattodoaboutmarriagesoon.IwantOrc,Goblins,andLizardmentohavetherighttochoosewhomevertheylove.Itwouldbegoodiftheyproducestrongeroffspring.Butthereisaproblem:shouldIallowpolygamy?Thismightbeespeciallyhelpfultowomenwhohavelosttheirhusband.

Theoni,forexample,canreproducewithanyrace,butchoosenotto.Alltheirmagicalenergygetsabsorbedintheprocess,andsomehavenotbeenabletorecoverit.AsBenimarusaid,

「Butthatisn’tsomethingRimuru-samashouldbeconcernedabout,right?Manypeoplehavelostalltheirmagicalenergyafternamingmonsters,andevenDemonLordsgenerallyavoidit,afterall.」

Waytodropthebomb.Hey,hey!!!HowmanydoyouthinkI’venamedbynow!Andyoumentionitnow!Thankgoodnessithasbeenreplenishingtillnow.I’llhavetobemorecarefulaboutnamingmonstersfromnowon.Well…replenishingenergyjustseemstonaturaltome;callitanadult’sintuitionorsomething.Anyways,itseemstherearealsotwotypesofchildrenproducedbyoni.Thefirstarecreatedwithbutseed,thesecondistrulylaboredover.Theformerismadebycombiningsomeofone’smagicalpower,andwhiletheydoinheritsomeabilities,theytendtobeweaker.Thelatteryoupourallyourstrengthinto.Butyourlifespanshortensasaresult.

「I’mfinealone!I’mnotinterested!」

It’spersonal.Bytheway,it’sdifferentforwomen.Theycanrejectaseedtheybelievetooweak.Soiftheywereforced,thatwouldmeanthatthepartnerwasstronger;butifdeceptionwasinvolved,thentheywouldn’tbearachild.Theyaren’tallowedtobearchildrenwithjustanyone.Andthisiscommonamonghighrankingmonstersanddevils,itseems.GoblinsandotherDemi-Humans,sincetheydon’tpossesssuperbstrength,arenotmuchdifferentthanhumans.Sofar,we’vehadabout5~10childrenborn,andnotmorethan2atatime.Inanycase,inordertoensurethattheyleaveoffspring,Iwillallowpolygamy.However,onlylimitedtowidows!Andthat’stheruleIpassed.I’llchangeitwhenneeded.

Everynewmoon,wedecidedtoholdaconfessionfestival,andnewcoupleswouldbegivenahome.Singleswouldcontinuelivingintenementhousing.Well,iftheyoccupysomeimportantpost,theyarefreetoliveontheirown.Thatmuchdoesn’tbothermepersonally.

Intheend,Iwon’tbeabletomakesureeveryone’ssatisfied,butthereisacustomtoacceptmywishesinthiscity.Wheninterestsclash,residentsbicker,theycomeseekingmydecision.Well,theElderBunchalsohandlesmanyofthese,somyinvolvementcanbesaidtobelimited…tosomedegree.Everyoneistryingtobeveryconsiderateofmesotheytrytoavoidcausingtrouble.Iwassurprisedathowcooperativethemonstersreallyare.Whenitcomestogovernment,whethersocialismorcapitalism,bothwilleventuallyrotandfallapart.ALandruledbyatrulyjustKing.Whereeveryoneisequal.‘Tisbutapipedream.However…Idecidedtoaimforthatdream.IprayIwillneverfallintovice.ShouldIbecometrulydepraved,Ihopesomeonewillendme.That’swhatIthoughtwhileobservingtheConfessionFestival.

Nowthatwe’vestabilizedthelifehereandpassedall(seemingly)necessaryrules,Iwanttogoandseehowhumanslive.Besides,Icannowtransformintoahuman;it’sabouttimeIgoandlearnfromthem.Normally,thosewhohavereincarnatedintoadifferentworldmakeabigdealaboutmeetinghumans;I,however,havemetveryfewsofar.ThegroupoutsideoftheDwarfs’city,Shizu-san,thethreeidiots…andthat’sall?NorhaveIforgottenmyoriginalobjectiveofmeetingfellowWorldTravelers.FromShizu-san’smemories–hertwostudents:KagurazakaYuukiandSakaguchiHinata.Idowanttomeetthetwoofthem,butSakaguchiHinatasoundslikebad

news.Therewasalsosomethingthatbotheredme.WhydidthekindShizu-sanallowHinatatogoonherown?Ashersenpai,asafellowJapanese,shouldn’tshehaveseenheroff?ImustmeetHinataandconfirm.IhaveacquiredsomeofthememoriesfromtargetsI’veconsumedwith『Predator』,butcertainlynotall.Lingeringmemoriesareeasiertoacquire,Iguess.WhenImeether,IshouldconfirmwhatIknow.ThethreeidiotshavepassedalongmymessagetotheirGuildMaster,andalsolookedaftertheletterIwrote.Thatlettersimplyexpressesmydesiretomeethim.Thoughhe’sbutachiefofasmallcountry’sFreedomAssociationbranch,heisaGuildMaster.Heshouldhaveconnections.HopefullyIcangetsomebenefitsfrommeetinghim.Ifitgoesoverwell,maybehecouldeventrytointroducemetotheGrandMasterKagurazakaYuuki.Sincethingshavecalmeddownaroundhere,Icanprobablyleaveforabit.

However,todothatthereissomethingIlack.Right!Money.Thethreeidiotswereprettypoor,anddidn’thavemuchmoneyonthem.NotthatIexpectedbetterofthem.Iwanttobuyvegetableseeds,magicstones,handicraft,andwhateverseemsimpressive.Iinitiallyplannedtosellsome“DemonSteel”,butdecidedagainstit.Thereasonissimple.“DemonSteel”istoopreciousofaresource.Sinceweuseitinourweaponsandarmor,sellingitwouldbealmostsacrilegious.Itisalsoinvaluableforproductionofmountedsoldiers’weapons.Sinceitcanchangeshapeatwill,it’susefulforreceivinganddealingvariousattacks,tosaynothingofcarryingit.AndwhileIdohavealotofit,it’snotlikeit’saninfiniteamount.Solet’sholdoffsellingituntilwecanreplenishourstock.Asforironoreandsuch,wediscoveredsomeinthemountain’sdistrict,andarebuyingitoffthehighorcs.SoKurobeeandKaijinareusingitasabasetocreateweapons.

Wealsoneedalotofmagicstonesforresearch.ThosearecreatedbythehumanGhostResearchersanddoesnotappearnaturally.Theymanufactureitfromcrystallizedmagicstonestheyextractfrommonsters.Italsoseemstorequirelargefactories,soisonlydoneattheFreedomAssociation’sheadquarters.Monsterssometimesdropcrystallizedmagicstones;thosearethencollectedateachindividualbranchandsenttotheheadquarters.That’sthesystemthattheyuse.Sowhenadventurershuntmonsters,theydon’tonlydoittoprotectagainstdamagesbutalsotobecomerich.Aprettygoodsystem,ifyouaskme.WhichmeansthatifIwanttoacquiresomemagicstones,Ihavetobuythem…SoIranintothemoneywallagain.

Thus,howshouldIearnsomemoney?BymyselfIcouldn’tpossiblymakeenoughquickenough.Thesamewithselling–ourfieldsdon’tproducenearlyenough,andweprobablycouldn’tsellthematahighenoughprice.Weaponsandarmorsareforourpersonaluse,andthosewillnotbesold.So,dowehavenothingtosell?Thethingis,wedo!IhadleftacertainsomethingtoGabil,afterall.Right!Hipoktegrass!SoIcalledGabilover,

「Gabil-kun,howiscultivationgoing?」「Fufufu.I’mgladyouasked!It’sgoingwell!Literallythefruitsofourlabour!」

Hesaid,showingmetheirproduce.It’sweed…Silently,Iaimed『BlackLightning』athim.Well,hewon’tdiefromit.I’vegottengoodatadjustingtheoutput.

「Guoo!Whatareyoudoing!HaveIangeredyousomehow?!」「Idiot!Thisiscommonweed!Whatthehellhaveyoubeencultivating!!!」「Wh-what!Ibegyourpardon!I’vebeenhurryingsoIseemtohavemixedthingsup!」

「”I’vebeenhurrying”won’tcutit!Seriously.Watchwhatyouaredoing!Besides,itshouldbenearlyimpossibletogrowweedinacavewithsuchhighmagicdensity!」

Inreality,eventhisexchangewasplanned.We’reactuallysteadilygrowingHipoktegrass.Rather,teachingGabiltodistinguishbetweendifferenttypesofgrassiswhatwasgivingmetrouble.AndthisGabilwalksaroundthecaveasifheownedtheplace,sometimesevenreferredtoasitsking.Themonstersinhabitingitalsofleeatthesightofhim.Someofhissubordinateshaverecentlybeenabletodefeatthecentipedealone,andnowconsiderthecaveastheirterritory.It’sactuallyreallyimpressive.NotthatIwillsaythattothem,orofferanypraise.Gabilisthetypetogetcarriedawaywhenpraisedandfailsoonafter.Justlikeme.IunderstandbecauseIamthesame.Theyhavebeengrownalotofhipoktegrassupuntilnow.

IthencalledKaijinoverandshowedhimthehipoktegrass.Andnexttoit,themedicineImadefromprocessingit.Qualitywasappraisedasverygood.I’vealwaysbeenabletoproducequalitymedicinewithit.Then,Istartedtheconversation.

「Kaijin.IfIsoldthisinacity,howmuchwouldImake?」

Kajinthoughtforabit,andthenreplied,

「Hmmm.Danna,that’satoughone.Thismedicineistoogood.It’seffectsaretoogood.It’simpossiblygood!」

AndthenIlearnedafewthingsfromhim.Thatmymedicinehasthehighestpurityratingof99%.Thatnormally,thelimitis98%,andevenDwarfmastershavenotbeenabletosurpassit.Thatevenat98%,itfetchesahighprice.

Andsoon.

「So,ifyoutriedsellingthisinacity…」

「You’dstandouttoomuch!」

Ananswercamefromthesky.Butmy『MagicPerception』didn’tsenseanyone!

「It’sbeenawhile,Kajin!And,Slime.Doesthou…doyourememberme?」

Whilesayingthis,apersonappearedfromtheskysaddledonawingedhorse.Awonderfulwhitesteedwithwings–aPegasus.Afterlanding,hejumpedtotheground.HowcouldIforget…it’sthedwarfKing!HeroKingGazelleDwargohimself.

「M-mylord!Why,eh,whywouldyoubehere?Eeeeh!!!DidYousneakoutofthecastle?!」

Kaijin’sopenedhiseyessowidetheyseemedlikethey’dfallout.Well,yeah,that’sonlynatural.TheKingwasalone…actually,nohebroughtanextra.Hecamewithonlytwopeople!Actually,haven’tIseentheotheronesomewhere…Huh!Isn’tthatBester!Thedwarfthattriedtoensnareus…whywouldhebehere?

「Fun!Islippedpastahundredguardsofmyown!They’vebeenslacking.WhenIreturnI’llretrainthem!」「N-no…tohaveaKingastheirtrainingpartner…」「Hmm?Kaijin,didyousaysomething?」「N-no!Isaidnothingatall!」「Isthatso?Okay,then!」

Speakingofthingsoutsideofmyknowledge,thetwocontinuetheirconversation.

Howthehelldidthekingslipout?!

Wedecidedtocontinuetheconversationatadifferentplace.Andnottoatemporaryone,buttoaspecialbuildinginthecenter.Alltheadministrativedutiesarecarriedoutinthisbuilding.Soweborrowedoneoftheconferencerooms.

「So,King,what’sallthisabout?WhydidyoubringBester-donoalong…」「Oh!That’ssimple!IselfishlydecidedtoforbidyourfuturereentryintotheDwarfKingdom.SoIdecidedtocomeandseeyouinstead.AsforBester,he’salsoatfaultforwhathadoccurred,soIalsoexiledhim.Butwecan’thavehimleadacarefreelife,nowcanwe!SoIbroughthimover.」「…」「”SoIbroughthimover”!Didyoureallyjustsaythat?!Doyou,King,trulyunderstand?AreyouplaningtohaveBesterworkhere?」「Hmm?Youdon’twanthim?」「That’snottheproblem!Aren’tyouworriedthathisknowledgewillbeleakedtous?」

Kaijinsaidwithadeadlyseriousface.Thoughhe’sseriousbynature,he’sdesperatelypressingtheKingforanswers.Incontrasttohim,theKingcasuallyignoreshisquestions.Thepreviousdignityisnowheretobeseen;thisisprobablyhisactualappearance,huh?AsforBester,helookscompletelylost.

「Leak…huh.Whenyouguysleft,isn’tthatexactlywhatyouweredoing!I’veconsiderederasingyou,youknow?」

SuddenlytheKingturnedserious

「King,that…」「I’mserious!Idecidedagainst,itthough.Itrytoavoidpointlesseffort.IbroughtBesteroverbecauseIwouldlikehimtoworkhere!」

ThosewordslitaflameinBester ’seyes.

「K-King!」「Don’tgetthiswrong,Bester.Ihadhighexpectationsofyou.Thatmuchistrue.Iwon’tpermityoutoserveme,butyoucanworktoyourheart’scontenthere.That’sall.」「King!Wouldn’tthatmeanthattheywouldbelearningallthedwarfskillsforfree?」

Kaijinhadjustgottenoverthat,though…

「Fun.“Isitfine”isallyouguyssay.Withyoutwohere,thiscitywillbecomethecenteroftechnologicaldevelopment.Don’tyouunderstand?TheDwarfCountry,thisKingisinterestedinworkingtogetherwithyou.Getit?TheDwarfCountry,asoftoday,officiallyseekstoformanon-aggressiontreatywithyou!Also,beforethat.Asanunderthetabledeal,wewanttoformMutualTechnologyResearchTreaty.That,however,mustneverbementionedtoanyone.Howaboutit?Willyouacceptthesetwotreaties?」

Hesaidwithaseriousfacelookingmestraightintheeye.Anonaggressiontreatyandonetosharetechnologicaladvancements?Whatmorecouldweaskfor!Theyareessentiallyrecognizingasanofficialstate.

「Sodoesthatmeanyouarerecognizingusacountrywithsovereignrights?」

Tomyquestion,

「Ofcourse.It’sangoodoffer,isn’tit?Also,justoutofcuriosity,whatisthenameofthisCountry?」

Eh?AName?KaijinandIexchangedglances,

「Undecidedasofyet…」「Nowthatyoumentionit…」

Ihadthoughtthataboutitonce,though.

TheDwarfKinghaddecidedtostaythenightwithus.IftravelingonthePegasus,hecouldreturntotheDwarfKingdomwithinaday.However,journeyingbynightisdangerous,sohedecidedtoreturnthefollowingday.Wehadgatheredanemergencycounciltodecidethenameofthecountry.Andthuswedecided,weshallbeknownastheMonsters’City“Tempest”.TheyhadintendedtocallitRimuru,butthatwastooembarrassingsoIforbidit.WecompriseddowntoTempest.It’snotlikeit’sonlymyname,anditsoundsalright.Thatnight,tocommemoratethenamingofthecity,wethrewalargeparty.Wehaveanabundanceoffood,andsomeprettygoodcooks.Seemslikewe’veevenbeenabletoimpresstheKing.That’smainlybecauseShunaisjustsuchanamazingcook.

Forentertainment,wehadamockbattlewiththeKing.Hewasgrumblingabouthowhenevergetstoleavethecastleandsuch.Whatasurprisinglyopenpersonalityhehas!Atthisratewe’llbecallingeachotherbynamesoon…Butamockbattleisnogood.IswhatIthought.Buthewouldn’tlisten.Seemslikehe’splanningsomething.ButIhavenochoice,I’llplayalong.Itransformedintomyhumanform.SinceeatingtheOrcDisaster,myhumanformgrewabit.I’mnolongerachild,butayounggirl.Around150cminheight.Abitmoreaccomplished,maybe?Takingwoodenswordsinhand,wefaceeachother.Hakurouobservedthematch,andcalledforittostart.

「Begin!」

Thatverymoment,theKingdisappeared.Escapingmyperceptioncompletely.Dangerous!ThemomentIthoughtthat,thewoodenswordIheldwashitoutofmyhand.Thematchwasdecided.Icompletelylost.SothisistheDwarfKing…thepoweroftheheroking!

「Listen,Rimuru.Fromtheverybeginningyoudidn’tnoticemeapproachingfromthesky,didyou?ThoughMagicPerceptionisawonderfulskill,buttherearecountlesswaystoslipoutsideofitssight.Ianticipatedwhatperceptionmethodyouwoulduse,andslippedpastit.Thesearethebasicsofwar!Concentrateharder.Ifyoudependonlyonyourabilities,youwon’timprove!」

Sothat’swhyhedidthis…Satisfied,Ithankedhim.

「Thankyou,Gazelle.Nexttimewemeet,itwon’tbethiseasy!」「Fun.Soyousay,youngster!」

Afterourmatchended,themonsters’cheersfilledthecity.Theywereveryexcited,tosaytheleast.Benimaru,Souei,andShionalsoseemedliketheywantedtosaysomething–theirfaceswereserious.Hakurounoddedwithahappyexpressiononhisface.Istillhavealongwaytogo.Ifinallylearnedthat.Thebanquetcontinuedlongintothenight…

Andthenextday,theDwarfKingGazelleDwargoandIofficiallysignedthetwotreaties.HistorywillknowtodayasthedaywhentheMonsters’City“Tempest”wasofficiallycreated.

Chapter47ACity’sSpecialty

DevilGruciusisawolfman.Valuedforhisexcellentespionageabilities,hewasassignedasecretmissionbytheDemonLordKarion.Hewasrememberinghiswords,

「Observethembuttakecaretogounnoticed;ifyouseeanyotherdevils,extendtheinvitationtotheonibeforethem!」

Devilsotherthanhimself?Whenheaskedaboutthat,Karionadded,

「ClaymanandMilimwillbesendingoneoftheirsubordinatesthere.Workingtogetherwiththemgivesmethecreeps,sodoasIasked!」

Hesaid,avertinghisgaze.

「Ah!Karion-sama!Whyhaveyouavertedyourgaze?Couldtheybesuchtroublesomeopponents?」

Uponhearingthisquestion,Karionwasconfusedforasecond,buthisconfusionquicklyturnedintoabroadgrin.

「Isee!Youhaven’theardofMilim,haveyou!Isthathowitis…Isee,Isee!Alright!Noproblem,inthatcase.RegardingMilim’ssubordinate,orrather,theonewhoreferstooneselfashersubordinate–donotgoagainsther!Aslongasshestayshappy,allisgood!ButIhavecompletetrustinyou!」

Sohesaid.Gruciuswasthinkingaboutthequestionheardentlytriedtodismiss.“Milim”mostlikelyreferstoDemonLordMilimNava.AfamousdemonlordthatevenGruciushasheardof.Sheisindeedstrong.Bystrengthalone,shewouldbeamatchforKarion-sama;theworstcasescenario–shewouldsurpasshim.

Herpersonalitycanbedescribedwithfourwords:shorttempered,haughty,cruel,andegoistic.Nothinggoodiseversaidabouther.However,whyshouldhefearhersubordinate?Ithasbeenonly100yearssinceGruciusbecameadevil.So,henaturallydidnotknow.NotaboutMilim,atleast–thoserumorsexcluded.Soon–whenhereachedthemeetingplace,tobeprecise–hequicklyregrettedhisignorance.

DevilMyulanwaslamentinghermisfortune.WorkingwithotherDemonLord’ssubordinateswasbadenough.However,amongthemwasDemonLordMilimherself.

「Ibearresponsibilityforthatoutcome…」

DemonLordClaymansaid,

「ButIdon’thaveanydisposablepawnsotherthanyourself.HadInotlostGelmudo,Iwouldhavesenthim,but…Nothingwecandoaboutthat,right?Hewentanddied!」

Nofurtherdiscussionwouldbeheldonthistopic.DemonLordClayman.NicknamedMarionetteMaster.Someonewhomanipulatesfriendsandsubordinateslikedolls.Forhim,theaforementionedmatterissetinstone.AndthoughMyulanwasjustcalledadisposablepawn,shelackedthewillpowertoretort.Shehadnochoicebuttoaccept.ThedemonlordnamedMilimsheknewalltoowell.SoDemonLordClaymangaveheroneorder.

Stalltheotherdemonlordsandfindabouttheirweaknesses!

Justthatmuch.SinceMilimwasinvolvedinthiscase,anyfurtheractivitywouldbeimpossible.Myulanagreed.

DemonLordMilimisbynomeansstupid.Sheiscalledshorttemperedandimpudent,butthatisnottrue.Moreover,shepossessesanabnormalperception,sofoolingherwouldprovedifficult.Thus,itwouldbebesttonottrytoslipanythingpasther.ButMyulanhadnoreasontobevigilanttowardsMilim’ssubordinate.AndyetshewasstillonherguardagainstMilim.Sheunderstoodwhysheshouldstayvigilant,DemonLordClaymanhadconveyedittoheralittlewhileago.Chancesare,DemonLordKarionalsoknew.Thereasonwas,

「Oh,soyouwouldbemycomrades,huh?IamDemonLordKarion’ssubordinateGrucius!」「Pleasedtomeetyou,IamDemonLordClayman’sMyulan!」「I’mMilim!」

Milim’ssubordinatewasnowheretobefound.That’showitwas.Andthus,thethreegatheredattherendezvouspoint.

＊　＊　＊

ThetreatybetweentheDwarfKingdomandtheMonsters’Countryessentiallytestifiedbilateralcooperation.Thefactthattheirtworepresentativessignedthetreatyascertainsitsvalidity.Couldatreatybetweentwocountriesbeestablishedthiseasily?Sincethatexceedsmyknowledge,Iasked,

「Hmm?That’snotaproblem.SinceIswearbythegods,spirits,andsacredancestors,Icannotfalselysign.Andyouaren’tahuman,areyou?Throughthecontract’sauthority,shouldyoulie,you’dbeerased,youknow?」

andreceivedsuchanonsensicalresponse.So,Iasked『GreatSage』foranexplanation.

Apparently,monsterscan’tlie.Iwascompletelyoblivioustothatveryimportantfact.Wecannotconveywhatwebelievetobealie.However,thatdoesnotmeanwecan’tfoolpeople.Omittingfacts,forexample,orleadingthemtobelievesomethingbyrevealingonlyspecificfacts.However,incaseofcontracts,lyingthroughtheaforementionedmethodsbecomesessentiallyimpossible.Well,ifyoucantalkyourselfoutoftheliethennoproblem;butifyoupubliclydeclarealie,yourexistencewillbeerased.It’sarulepertainingtoeverymonster.However,monstersbornthroughbirtharenotalwaysboundbythisrule,andsometimescapableoftellinglies.Goblinscanliefreely.Ontheotherhand,highmonstersanddemonsexemplifythisrule,andarefamousforbeingboundbycontracts.Demonsdon’ttelllies.Althoughtheyareoftencalledsly,theyareactuallyaratherpurerace.Andwhenpeoplecometobelievethistheygrownegligent,andademoncomestosnatchawaytheirsoul…

「Eventhoughyou’reamonster,youdidn’tknowthis?Rimuru,aren’tyoustrange…」「I’vebeenbornnottoolongago.I’mstillintheprocessoflearning?」「Isthatso…well,whatever.Pleasedon’taccidentallyeraseyourentirecountryafterIwenttothetroubleofrecognizingit!Yourruleassuresthesafetyoftheentireforest.Ibegyou!」「Well,we’vejustfinishedbuildingthiscity,andwedon’tintendtoloseit;so,we’lldoourbest!」

Andthus,wesignedthetreatyintoeffect.Istilldon’tknowallofthisworld’salphabet,butIcanatleastwritemyname.IlearnedthatmuchwhenIwasbored.ThemomentIwrotemyname,thedocumentbegantoglowandsplitintotwo.Thepaper,itseems,wasmadebytheGhostResearchers.Toannulit,youwouldneedtoburnbothofthecopiesatthesametime.However,aslongastheotherpartyisliving,destroyingthedocumentis

impossible.Itwouldmerelyrestoreitselftohowitwasbefore.Wetriedthatonce,anditwasexactlyastheysaid.Thusthecontractwascomplete.Thiscontractshouldbekeptbetweenthetwocountries.Andwhileopenlydeclaringitisnotaproblemperse,itkindofdefeatsitspurpose.Thereisnoneedtolettheworldknowaboutit.TheDwarfKingacceptshiscopy,pleased.

「I’llalsoleavethistoyou!」

Hesaid,andtookoutacrystalaslargeasafist.WhenIacceptedit,

「That’sacommunicationcrystal.AskBesteraboutitsinstallation.Useitincaseofanemergency.Andstayingoodhealth!」

Heexplained,andsaddledthePegasus.And,lookingatBester,

「Bester,youshouldresearchtoyourheart’scontenthere!」「King!Thistime,Iwillliveuptoyourexpectations!!!」

Hesaidandnoddedattheresponse.

「Farewell!」

Headded,andflewoff.Hesuddenlycame,andhurriedlyleft.Justlikeastorm.

「Hey,Kaijin,isitokayforyourcountrytohavesucha…freewilledindividualasaking?」「Whoknows…but,he’sruledformanyhundredsofyears,andhasplentyofachievements,soitshouldbefine!ButneverinmytimeinthecourthaveIseenhimmovearoundsoselfishly…」「Ohwell!I’mthelastpersonwhocancriticizehim!」

Right,Itooamplanningtorunofftosomehumanvillage.I’mnotplanningtosaysomethingthatwilllimitmyabilitytomovearound.Leavingtheconversationatthat,welefttheclearing.ThetreatydocumentsIdepositedintomystomach.Sinceourdefensesaren’tperfectasofyet,havingitstolenwouldmakeforapoorstory.“WoulditreappearifIweretoloseit?”isanexperimentIwillnotconduct.Andthus,wesuccessfullyestablishedatreatywiththeDwarfKingdom.

Nowthen,it’sabouttimeIconsiderthelessonGazelletaughtmeyesterday–

「Rimuru-dono,Kaijin-dono,Ihumblybegyourforgiveness!Woulditbepossibleformetoworkhere?」

Besterinterruptedmythoughts.Nowthathementionsit,hedidalmostentrapus…Ihadcompletelyforgotten.

「I’llbefrank,canyoufollowmyorders?Iforbiddiscriminationagainstanyraceofmonsters!Areyouokaywiththat?」「Ofcourse.Ihavereflectedonmymistakes.Inthefirstplace,ithasleadmetofeelenviousofKaijin-dono…Iwillnotrepeatthatmistake!Iwanttodocontinuemybelovedresearchwithallmystrength;Iwouldneverbetraythatwish!」「Asforme,Iwouldonlybenefitfromanexcellentresearcher!Ifanythingweretohappen,I’lltakeresponsibilityforhim.So,Rimuru-danna,pleaseforgivehim!」

Kaijinsaidso.Well,ratherthanme,itwouldbeyou,Kaijin,whowouldbetroubled…

「Well,ifyou’refinewithitKaijin,Ihavenocomplaints.Pleasedtohaveyou,Bester!」

Thus,Besterbecameournewcomrade.Andbecausehebecameournewcomrade,wemadeadiscoverywhichcametobeourcity’sspecialty.

＊　＊　＊

Worstdayever.HowmanysighshasthedevilGruciussuppresseduntilnow?RememberingDemonLordKarion’sbroadgrinonlyevokedanger.Heknew,thatbastard.Actually,no–Ishouldhaveknownmyself.Sohethought.Worstdayever.Whowouldhaveguessedthatridingonhisbackwouldbeademonlordherself?Worstdayever.Themomenttheymet,

「Hey,shorty.Howdareyoucallyourselfwithademonlord’sname?Iwon’ttellyourmaster,sonameyourselfatonce!」

Hehadsaid.Andthesecondhesaidit,hewasknockedunconscious.Gruciuslamentedhismisfortune.Inthefirstplace,hehadneverseentheDemonLordMilim.Havingbeautiful,glossyblondhairtiedintwintails,andashortstature,anyonewouldmistakeherforsomerandomkid.Noonewouldexpecthertobeextremelystrong.Thoughshewasmakingareallycuteface,themomenthecalledherashorty,herexpressionchanged.Herroundeyesimmediatelyturnedsharp,andherlipstwistedintoacruelsmile.Then,hisconsciousnessfaded.Aftergettinghitasecondtime,hewasoutcold;andthatbringsustothepresentsituation.TheotherdevilMyulanignoredhim.Worstdayever.Gruciuswasreflecting.Nottojudgeadevilbytheirlooksiscommonsense,sowhydidhecommitsuchagraveerror…

Myulanmusthaveknown.RightbeforeGruciuswashithesawhereyesopenwide,asifscreaming:whatthehellyousaying,idiot?!Hewouldprobablysaythesamethinghadheknown…Worstdayever.Ifonly…ifonlyhewastoldaboutthis…However,hewastoldnottogoagainstwhoeverwouldcallherselfasMilim’ssubordinate.Butwhowouldhavethoughtthatshewouldn’tcallherselfasubordinatebutopenlynameherself…?IsMilimhonesttoafault?No,itwastoolatetohavesuchthoughts.Sincethen,Gruciusmadesuretoneverjudgeadevilbytheircover!

And,now.He’sinhiswolfform,runningthroughtheforest.Thankstohisregenerativeabilities,hesomehowendured.Aftergettingknockedaround,hewasthenorderedtoletherride.Ofcourse,heneverevenconsideredrefusing.Myulanisrunningbyhisside.Forthedevils,thismuchwouldn’ttirethematall.Andthus,thethreecameuponacertaincity.

＊　＊　＊

We’vebeenbusycontinuingdevelopingourrestorativemedicine.Well,Idoubtyoucancalltryingtoloweritsperformance“development”,however.Couldwediluteasinglerestorativepill(98%purity)withtentimestheamountofwatertocreateahighclass(60%)medicine?Wetriedtoso,butitprovedimpossible.Itturnedintolowgrade(20%)medicine.Ifyouusedahighqualitypill,thepuritywouldonlygoupby10%.Andthen,Bestermadeanunexpecteddiscovery.Hehadwantedtoseeourhipoktegrassfarm,soIguidedhimtotheCaveoftheSeal.Hewasscaredofridingthestarwolfatfirst,butquicklygotusedtoit.Andthus,weenteredthecave.Gabilwelcomedusattheentranceand

showedusin.Afterobservingourcultivation,Besterwenttolookattheundergroundlake.

「Rimuru-dono,hipoktegrasscanbecultivatedduetothehighmagicenergydensityofthislake,right?Sowhatifwetrieddilutingtherestorativepillnotwithnormalwater,butwiththiswater?」

Isee,weshouldtesthistheoryatonce!Andsowedid.Wewereabletoproducemediumgrade(40%)medicine.Ofcourse,withahighqualitypill,thepurityroseto50%.Howwonderful.Agreatsuccess.Wealsotestedjusthowmuchwecoulddiluteit;fromasinglepillwecouldcreate20mediumgrademedicines.NoddingtoKaijin,Igavehimahighfive.Wesucceeded.ThefirstspecialtyofMonsters’CityTempest.Andthat’showwemadeit.

BesterseemedlikehewashavingalotoffunhandlingthegrasswithGabil.Perhapstheyarerathercompatible.

「Huh,aren’tyouchummy.Bester,howaboutwemakeyouaroomhere?」

Ihadmeantitasajoke,but

「Wouldyoureally?!TothinkthatIwouldalsobepermittedtoresideinthiscave.Ithastheperfectatmospherefor(mad)scienceexperiments!」

Hesaid,hiseyessparkling.

「Areyousure?ThereareB+rankCentipedesaroundhere,youknow?」「Hmph.Noproblem.Imaynotlookit,butI’veindulgedinsorcery,andamrathergoodatit!」

IlookedatKaijin,andhewasshakinghishead.Alie?

「Aslongasyoudon’tregretit.We’llbepreparingaroomforyou!」「Noproblem,Isaid!Gabil-donoishere,afterall!」

Isee,ifGabilishere,Besterwon’tbeattacked,huh.Satisfied,

「Gabil,canIleaveBestertoyou?」「Pleasedo!Iamhere,andIwillalsoassigntwoofmysubordinates!」

Howreliablehehasgotten.Istillworryabouthimgettingabighead,butIguesshewasstrongtobeginwith.Butheseemstohavecalmeddownrecently,andgetsalongwithBesterprettywell,soIshouldjustleaveittohim.Andso,wehadbuiltBester ’sresearchlabinthecave.Gabilhadtwoofhissubordinatesguardtheroominthecave,andtheresultwasactuallyratherpleasant.Ifthisistobecomehislab,weprobablydon’tneedtoincludeanylifenecessities.But,wedoneedtofigureouthowhewillbemakingthetriptothecaveallthetime.WhileIwasthinkingthesethings,

「Rimuru-dono,canIsetupamagiccirclehere?Itwouldbedifficulttocreateinsidethesedoors,butitispossibleoutside.ShouldIsetitup?」

IhadmentionedbeforethatIwanttohaveamagiccircleattheplacewhereIdefeatedtheblacksnake.A〈TransportationMagicSystem〉circle,tobeprecise.Ifyouwritetwoidenticalcircles,youcanmovebetweenthem.Well,Iguessitwouldn’tbeinaccuratetosaythatI’mcomingtolikesorcery.Kaijinwasalsosurprised,hearingBesterexplainthis.Thus,aslongasmonsterswon’tbeappearinginthemiddleofourvillage,Idecidedtopermitit.Besterthendrewacircleinsidehishouseandanotherinsidethecave.And

thus,hesolvedthetransportationproblem.Butwow,transportationcirclesareconvenient.Ofcourse,Ihadhimimmediatelyteachme.And,afterGabilandtherestalsolearnedit,wewereabletomoveeasilybetweenthecityandthecave.Besterisanunexpectedlyusefuldwarf.Asfortheguyhimself,hewasjustengrossedfantasizingaboutalltheresearchhewilldo.SinceIleftsomerestorativepillsanddemonsteelwithhim,hecancontinueresearchingthoseonhisown.I’vealsointroducedhimtoKurobeeandShuna,whichstartedanotherlongconversation.Ratherthanpolitics,thisguyismadeforscience.Heseemedveryboringwhenhewasobsessedwithpoliticalpower.Iguessitcorruptsyou.Buttruly,peopleshouldbedoingwhatevertheyenjoy.Aslongasthatdoesn’tcausetroubleforothers!

Andso,afterspendingsometimewithBester,henaturallybecameoneofourcomrades.

＊　＊　＊

Endinghismeditation,heopenedhiseyes.Inthemiddleofadimlylitroomofahighclassinn,theDwarfKingsat.OnethattheEspionageDepartment’sleaderstayedat–usinganalias,ofcourse.TheKinglaughed.It’sbeenalongtimesincehe’shadsuchaninterestingexperience.

「King,areyouingoodhealth?」

Suddenly,ashadowappearednearby.Heknewrightaway–itwasoneofhisspies.Thefactthatheslippedoutofthepalaceandwasnowhereprobablycausedagreatcommotionatthepalace.Inthefirstplace,hehasahundredpeopleashispersonalguard,forthemtohaveletsomeoneinoroutundetectedissimplypreposterous.

Theyneededtoberetrained,sotheKingthought.

「Noproblem!」

Heansweredbriefly.Therecouldhavebeennoproblems.Then,thoughit’sbeenalongtimesincehelastusedthisskill,heused『SpiritPossession』onthespy.And,lettheEspionageLeaderknow,

(YouwillreturntotheRoyalCapital,takingthePegasuswithyou!Disappearintotheshadowsasyoualwaysdoafterthat)(Ay!Asyoucommand!)

Atypicalexchange.Histrustedconfidant,EspionageDepartment’sleader.Withasamefaceandthesamebody.AclonecreatedbytheGhostResearchers.Thatwasasecretsharedonlybetweenthetwoofthem.Unliketowardsastranger,theKingcouldperfectlyuse『SpiritPossession』onthisspy.Incaseofsomeemergency,thiswashistrumpcard.TheDwarfKingGazelleDwargowasrememberingyesterday’smatchwiththeslime.

Thatslimewillbecomeverystrong…

Justwithreactionspeedalonehewasabletoreceivemysword.GazelledidnotintendtohittheswordoutofRimuru’shands.HeintendedtolandahitonRimuru’shead.Andthathit,whetherhefellbehindwiththeattackornot,Rimuruwasabletoreactto.Howamusing,hethoughfromthebottomofhisheart.Whatwillbecomeofthistreaty,hedidnotknow.However…

Don’tdisappointme,SlimeRimuru!

Gazellefelttheapproachingendoftheeraofpeace.

Chapter48-DemonLords’Invasion

DemonLordMilimNava,DevilGrucius,andDevilMyulanobservedthecityTempestfromabovewhilediscussingtheirnextmove.

DevilGruciussighedmentally.Afterrunningwithoutamomentofrest,theyfinallyreachedthecity.“WhataterriblepersonMilimis!Anymistakewhileinteractingwithhercouldleadtoagreatdisaster.”Hebelievedthisfactwithhisentirebeing.Sohowshouldheconversewithherfromnow…?Afterstayingwithherforawhile,herealizedhercompletelackofdishonesty.Sheishonesttoanextreme.Ofcourse,monstersarenotgoodwithlies,buttheyarenotasrestrainedastheworldtendstobelieve.Whilethisdoesn’tapplytohighrankingdemons,mostothermonstershavenoproblemtellingsmalllies.Andifsuchamonsteralsohappenstoomitthethetruth,theywouldhavenoproblemconductingsuccessfulnegotiations.However,DemonLordMilimprobablyhasn’tevenheardtheword“negotiation”.Sheboldlydeclaresherdemandsandrampagesiftheyarerejected.That’sthekindofimageshegivesoff.Originally,Gruciushadintendedtoobservethesituationwhilehidinghisidentityasahighrankingdevil.However,Milimwouldneverevenconsidersuchsecrecy.Sheunfortunatelybelievesthatifyouareworking,thereisnoneedtohideanything.Nowthen,howshouldheproceed..?Whatcouldhesaytocontinueworkingonhisown…?DevilGruciuswasdesperatelythinkingofawayout.

DevilMyulandidnotseeanychanceofthismissionsucceeding.Becausesuddenly,theywereplaguedbyDemonLordMilim.Sheis,afterall,ademonlordwhofocusedonstrength,sohercompleteincompetencyinespionagemakesherahindrance.

However,shecan’tjustsaythattoherface…Andbesides,sinceDemonLordClaymanfailedtoholdherbackinthefirstplace,hehasnorighttocomplain!Shethought.MarionetteMaster,whatajoke!Pushingthisbaggageofademonlordonthemanddemandingsecrecy!Impossiblemuch?!Heshouldhaveliveduptohisnicknameandmanipulatedherdespitethefactthatsheisafellowdemonlord.Hidinghercomplaintsinthedarkcornersofhermind,Myulanconsideredhernextsteps.ShenoticedtheidenticallytroubledlookonGruciusface,andtheylockedeyesforasecond.Perhapsitwouldbebestforthemtoworktogether.Attheveryleast,unlesstheyhadMilimworkindependently,shewoulddefinitelyimpacttheirmission.FromwhatDemonLordClaymangathered,DemonLordKarionintendedtohirenewsubordinates.Seemslikeanumberofoniservedthemysteriousmaskedmonster.Karionprobablyhopedtowinoverthemaskedmonster,or,inworstcasescenario,trytolureawayafewofitssubordinates.SinceGruciuswouldprobablybemovingwiththisobjectiveinmind,Myulandecidedtoofferhersupport.Shewouldn’tbeabletolearntheirweaknessesifnothinghappened,thatis.LetGruciusdoashepleaseandobservethesituation.Soshedecided.Couldn’texpectmuchfromMilim,afterall;it’slikethrowingaboulderintoapond.Iftheripplesaretoogreat,thedevilswillalsostandout.Thus,Myulandecidedherplan.Now,torealizeit…

Milimobservedthecitythatspreadbeneathher.Itiswellmade.Thecitizensallpossessstrongmagicalenergy.Allseemtobehighrankingmonsters.ThetermHighrankingmonstersreferstothosethathavedevelopedintelligence,anddependsnotontheirstrength.Sheunderstoodtheextentoftheircooperationwithasingleglance.Viaher“DragonEye”shecouldmeasureeachoftheirabilities.Howwonderful.Thoughit’shardtobelieve,buttheyareallnamedmonsters.

Whocouldhavenamedthemall?!Shefeltheramazementandastonishmentovertakeher.Shecertainlycouldnotreplicatesuchatroublesomefeat.Especiallyconsideringthechancethattheenergyyoubestowonsomeonemayneverreturntoyou.DemonLordslikehertendtohateseeingtheirpowerdisappearlikethat.Thistimesheonlyshoweduptokillsometime.Ifsheseriouslymadehermove,notjustFrey,butalsoKarionandClaymanwouldanswerwithgreatindignation.Fendingoffbothofthematoncewouldbetroublesome,shefigured;notintendingtolose,ofcourse…Butshewastrulygladthatshehadcome.Theveryfactthatmonstersbuiltthiscitythemselveswasamusing.ThecastlethatMilimresidesin,incomparison,wasbuiltbyhumans.Whoworshipherassomedeity.Herdominion’shumanvillageswereattackedbyhighmagicbeasts.AndMilim,whojusthappenedtobewalkingby,killedit;thehumansseemedtohavemisunderstoodhersomehow.Andthus,thelandbecamehers.Theotherdemonlordsdidn’tcomplain,nordidMilimhaveanyparticularreasontocomplain.Thistimeaswell,shedidn’tcomesearchingfornewsubordinates.Rather,shecametokillsometimeandtolaterseeClaymanandKarion’supsetfaces.That’stheonlyreasonforherjourney.Shehadintendedtoletthemhavewhoeveronceshefinishedteasingthem,but…Forittobelikethis!Themonsterslivingherewereofsuchhighquality.Theirabilitiessogreat.Andsomeonerulesoverthem!Howamusing!HersimplemindhasbynowcompletelyforgottenaboutClaymanandKarion.Shehadfoundhertarget!Someonewho’smagicenergyrivaledthatofademonlord!Andthus,shemadehermove.

＊　＊　＊

Afterdecidingtosellmediumgrademedicineasthecity’sspecialty,wecontinuedresearchingtowardsmassproduction.Inordertoproducesome,IhandedoversomemedicinethatIhadmademyself.AndthenIgotanidea,couldthedifferenceinpuritybeduetooxidization?Thatis,thereislittlebetweenproductionthroughmyskillandnormalmanufacturing.Theonlydifferenceisthatoneoccursinanoxygenrichenvironmentwhereastheotherisinsideme.Besterlistenedseriouslytomyhypothesis.Itseemsthatthisworldknowsofchemicalelements.Though,includedamongthedifferenttypesofmagic,inoppositiontospiritmagic,itiscalledchemicalelementsmagic.Iampersonallynotwellversedintheconceptsofmagic,butBesterseemedtohaveunderstoodmyexplanation.“Isitaffectedbyoxygen?”Hesaidhe’llconsidermyhypothesis.Inanycase,Ijustmentionedwhateverfirstcametomind,soit’snotmyfaultifthisiswrong.Successisbuiltuponmanyfailures.Amistakecanalsobeconsideredprogress.SinceI’monlyinchargeofHR,Ipassedonthisjobtohimwithandleft.KaijinisbusydiscussingsomethingwithBester.Theyaresofriendlyrightnowthatitishardtobelievetheirearlieranimosity.That’sbecausetheirhobbiesmatch.Butthisisforthebest.Ireturnedtothecityusingamagiccircle.

Wesetupthecity’smagiccirclenearthegates.Atthevacantlotneartheguardhouse,tobeprecise.Sothatinaoneinamillionchancethatmonstersdopassthroughthecircle,wecanquicklydealwiththem.Bester,however,insiststhatitisimpossible.Thatis,sinceyouneedtoreciteanincantationtotransfer,itisimpossibleformonsterstouseit.SoI’mprobablyjustworryingtoomuch.JustusingsomethingIknownothingabout,albeithesitantly.

Ishouldlearnmagicsoon…

Then,themomentIhadintendedtoheadovertoRigurdo’splacetolethimknowaboutoursuccess,My『MagicPerception』noticedalargemassofmagicalenergyflyinginourdirection.Dangerous!Imadethesplitseconddecisionandranbeyondthegatetowardsit.Asexpected,thelumpchangeddirectionmid-airandpursuedme.Extremelyquickly,too.Seemslikewe’llbemeetingeachotherattheclearingoutsidethevillage.GoodthingIdidn’trunintothevillage–sparedthebuildingsfromsomeunnecessarydamage.Steelingmyself,Iobservedtheopponent.Thedistancebetweenusshortenedgreatlywitheverypassingmoment.Thatmuchcouldbeunderstoodwitheyesalone.Abeautifulgirl.BlondhairtiedintotwintailswithablackGothicdresscoveringherbody.Herappearancewasthatofalovelyhumangirl.Theairaroundher,however,screamedtheexactopposite…Thelumpofmagicalenergy,orrather,thegirllandedrightinfrontofme.Andfrighteningly,shedidn’tcauseasingleripplewithherlanding.Thoughshewasflyingatsuchterrifyingspeedshewasabletoeraseitcompletelybeforelanding.Couldsheperhapsmanipulatedthelawofinertiaitself?Now,however,wasnotthetimetoconsidersuchthings.

「Pleasedtomeetyou!IamtheDemonLordMilimNava!Icametogreetthestrongestbeinginthiscity!」

Thebeautifuldemonlordtoldme.

Ademonlord!Whythehellwouldoneofthoseshowupnow…Shouldn’tyoursubordinatesorsomefourheavenlykingstoshowupbeforeyou!Isomehowmanagedtoholdbackthatretort;goodjob,me.However…howshouldIrespond.

Iamcurrentlyinmyslimeform,andIamnotrevealinganyofmyaura.I’vegottenprettygoodatmagicenergymanipulationrecently,soIcansubconsciouslypreventanyleaks.Inotherwords,Ishouldappearassomelowlyslimetotheignoranteyes.WhetherIcheckwithacloneorthrough『MagicPerception』Idon’tseemanydifferentthananormalslime,that’showwellI’vehidmyaura.Eventhen…Iwonderhowshesawthroughme.

「Thepleasureismine…Iamthelordofthecity,Rimuru.Youseemtohaveseenthroughtomytruestrength,huh?」

ThoughperhapsthestrongestonearoundhereisactuallyHakurou.ThoughIwon’tsaythat.Whileobservingher,Iaskedthatquestion.

「Fufun!Thatkindofthingissimpleforme.Usingthiseye,thedragoneye,Icanseethetarget’smagicalenergyeveniftheytrytohideit!Sonoonecanpretendtobeweakbeforeme!」

Soeyeswithanalyticalabilities?Whatanannoyingopponent.Comparedtomyanalysis,hersseemstobestronger.Herproficiencylevelisbeyondquestionhigher.ThisIcan’twin.Ifwefight,Imighthavetouseallmyskillsandtacticsjusttocreateanopening.Herleveliscompletelydifferentfromthepseudo-demonlordthatOrcDisasterwas.

「Whatamazingeyes,youhave.Now,whatwouldbethepurposeofyourgreetings?」

Let’shearherintentions.Knowingyouropponentsgoalisabsolutelynecessary,afterall.

「Mu?Purpose…yousay?Justtogreetyou,though?」「…」

「…」

She’shopeless.Ihadintendedtoeloquentlyconvincehertogoback,butstumbledatthefirststep.Justagreeting,shesays!I’mhonestlyatalosshere.

「Ah!Right,right,Iremembered!You,howaboutcallingyourselfademonlord,andbecomingone?」

Shesuddenlyadded.Thehellshesaying…

「Eh?WhywouldIwanttodosuchatroublesomething?」

Shewastheonetobesurprisednow.

「Eh,Imean,ademonlord!Soundscool,right?Youlongforit,right?」「Idon’t?」「…Eh?」「Eh?」

Seemslikethere’safundamentaldifferenceinourthoughtprocess.We’rejuststaringateachotherfaceswithouthavingouropinionsreachtheother.Well,aslimedoesn’thaveaface,though.

「Well,then,letmeask.What’ssogoodaboutbecomingademonlord?」「Eh?That’s…abunchofstrongpeopleaimtofightyou?It’sfun,youknow?」「Nah…Ihavenoneedforthat.Notinterested.」「EEHH?Thenhowdoyouenjoyyourlife?」「Inabunchofways…ifIweretobecomeademonlord,arethereotherwaystohavefunotherthantofight?」「Notreally…」「Thenisn’titreallyboring?」

ThemomentIsaidthat,Milimappearedasifshewerestruckbylightning,andlookedasifshetookseriousdamage.

Shewasbored,huh.Mywordsweresoaccuratethatshecan’tsayanythinginresponse.Anyfurtherconversationwouldprovemeaningless.Ishouldtakeadvantageofhershocktotakemyleave.

「Wellthen,sincewegotthatoutoftheway,couldIaskyoutoleave!」

Ihandledthatprettywell,Ithought…

「Wait!Y-you!You’redoingsomethingmorefunthanbeingademonlord,aren’tyou!Nofair!Nofair,nofair!!!I’mmad.Teachme!Iwon’tforgiveyouifyoudon’t!」

Ishouldbetheangryone!Justabrat!Ihadwantedtoexclaim,butdesperatelyhelditback.Theopponentisademonlord,angeringherwouldbebad.Rather,maybeifItreatherlikeakidhandlingherwillbesomucheasier.Attimeslikethis,justhavetobestraightwithher.Let’simagineherasarelative’skid.

「Igotit,Igotit.I’llteachyou!But,I’vegotacondition.Fromnowonyou’llcallmeRimuru-san!」「What?Don’tscrewwithme!Theotherwayaround!YoushouldbecallingmeMilim-sama!」「…」「…」「Alright,thenIwillcallyouMilim.AndyouwillcallmeRimuru.Howaboutit?」「Mumumu…alright.Gotit!IallowyoutocallmeMilim.Bethankful!Onlydemonlordscancallmethat!」「Ah,isthatso.Thenlet’sdropformalitiesfromnowon!」

Somesparksflewbetweenusduringtheconversation,Butweseemtohavesettledondroppingformalitiesentirelybetweenus.

「Okay,I’llguideyouin,then.Butdon’tgowanderingonyourown,okay?」「Gotit!Rimuru!」「Goodgood!Aren’tyouobedient.Also,don’tgorampaginginthecitywithoutmypermission,okay?Ifyoucanpromisemethat,I’llconsideryoumyfriend!」「That’seasy!Ipromise,Rimuru!」

Sofarsogood.She’seasierthanIthought.Justlikeakidwho’dlistentoanyonethatwouldgivethemacandy.Monstershavetokeeptheirpromises,right?Shouldbefinethen.Thinkingthat,IledMilimintothecity.

＊　＊　＊

Accompaniedbyaslime,DemonLordMilimenteredthecity.DevilGruciussawithappenusing“FarSight”.Andbewilderedbythisfact,

「Hey,isMilimgettingaheadstartonus?Aftertamingsomelowlyslime…」「Soitseems.Butthisisforthebest.WecouldnevercontinueinsecrecywithMilimaround.」「Right.Let’sjustpretendwegotridofabothersomeperson.」

Theysaidnoddingtoeachother.Iftheymovedtogether,theycouldn’timagineascenariowheretheirplanwouldn’tgodownthedrain.Andnowthatthishappened,theycanmovefreely.

「So,whatwillwedo?Howarewegoingtoinfiltrate?」「Yeah…」

Whilethetwowerebusyconsideringthis,Grucius’s“FarSight”pickedupahumansquadapproachingthecity.

「Yo,ahumansquad!Aretheyhereonmonsterextermination?」「Probably…butdotheyknowthatmonstersbuiltacityhere?」

Andlookingateachother,

「Let’smixinwiththem?」「That’sagoodidea.We’lldisguiseourselvesashumansandinfiltratethecity!」

Theydecided.Astwohighdevils,theycouldeasilytransformintoahuman.Andaftersomelightpreparations,theymixedinwiththesquadmovingtowardsthecity.TheMonsters’City“Tempest”,Andthus,thetwowereabletomeetthehumannamedYoumu.

Chapter49-HurricaneMilim

DevilGruciusandMyulanwerewalkingintheforestdisguisedashumans.Theyexpectedtosoonchanceuponthehumansquad.

Asanywolfman,Grucius’sappearancedifferedlittlefromahumanwhennottransformed.It’sbeenfivehundredyearssinceLycanthropeKingKarioncalledhimselfademonlordinsearchofpower.Thatwasduringaturbulenteventwherenewdemonlordsreplacedtheold.CalledtheWorldWar,thiseventwouldoccuronceevery500years.Andthat’swhenithappened.AtthesametimeasKarionthreeotherdemonlordswereborn.Freyisoneofthose.Consideredtheyoungest,withleastexperienceinthewar,areDemonLordKarion,andthelasttobeborn,DemonLordLeonCromwell.Thesixnewdemonlordswerethusthemembersofthenewgeneration.Theoldgeneration,ontheotherhand,hassurvivedovertwosuchwars;theirstrengthfarsurpassingtherest.Therefore,mostofthenewgenerationdemonlordsstrivetoexpandtheirpower.Karionbeingoneofthese,itisnaturalforhimtoseekstrongindividuals.Gruciusbecameadevilonlyahundredyearsago.Thelifespanoflycanthropesisnotmuchdifferentthanthatofhumans.Theonlydifferencebeingtheirlongeryouth–lastingfrom30~50years.Infact,whentheystarttogrowold,theirbodiesbegantoquicklyweakenandtheytendtodiewithintwoweeks.TheKingoftheBeastCountryYuurazaniaKarionpossessedgreatpowerfromthedayhewasborn.Hebecameadevilthroughhisownpower,andevenevolvedintoademonlord.Thereisalsoarumorthatheexterminatedasingledemonlordhimself,butwhetherthatistrueornotisopentodebate.Gruciusdidnotpossessenoughpowertoevolveonhisown;however,hedidexcelatstealthandcombat.Butthankstohisabilitieshegainedachancetoevolve.

Throughdrinkingthebloodoftheking.Thesurvivalrateofthisceremonyisonly10%.Beingabletoendureisinitselfamarkofahero.Gruciusenduredthistrial,likesqueezingthroughtheeyeofaneedle.Andthus,GruciusbecamethesamespeciesashisKing,andacquiredthesameabilitiesandlonglifespan.Evennow,ahundredyearssincehisrebirth,hisabilitieshaveyettowane.

ComparedtoGrucius,Myulan’scircumstancesarefarmorecomplicated.Shewasoriginallyawitch.Persecutedbyhumans,shewasontherunaround300yearsago.Afteruncoveringthesecretsofevolution,shebestoweditsbenefitsuntoherself.Thatis,shegainedeternalyouth.AsforwhysheiscurrentlyservingDemonLordClayman,thatwouldbebecauseofadealtheymade.Around400yearsago,Claymansucceededthepreviousdemonlord.Themomenthedid,hebeganhuntingdownnameddevilandmonsterstostealtheirhearts.Makingthemswearloyaltytohim,heinscribedacurseontotheirhearts,makingthemhiseternalservants.Myulanmetthesamefate.Eventhoughshegainedthepowerofadevilafterevolving,shewasfarweakerthanDemonLordClayman;andso,afterbeingdefeated,shehadthecurseofservitudeengravedonherheart.Asaresult,herstatusdidincrease,butshecouldhardlybehappyaboutit.Andsincethen,shebecameoneofClayman’smarionettes.ShecouldunderstanddevilslikeGelmudowhoyearnedfortheirownservants.Myulanwaswaitingforanopportunity.TodispelthecurseandstrikeatClayman.Herlonglife,however,testifiedagainstsuchopportunity.Thedifferenceintheirabilitieswastoogreat.Soherservantlifecontinued.Shemerelyhopedtoonedaybereleasedfromthecurse…Andso,untilpresentday.“Thegoalisinformationgathering;Iwillflawlesslycompletethetask!”Shethought,thinkingupaplan.

Shewouldusewhatevershecould–whetheritbeGruciusorthehumansquad!Anythinggoesaslongasitledtoherrelease.ShehadnochoicebuttoabideClayman’swishes.Sinceshewasoriginallyahuman,turningintoonewashardlyanyeffort.

.

AmanandawomanwalkedinfrontofYoumu’sgroup.Andtheyquicklyjoinedhisparty.Siblings,theysaid;anoldersisterandherbrother.Butextraordinarynomatterhowyoulookedatthem.Youmuobservedthetwo,whowerehappilyconversingwiththerestofthegarrison.TheyweredressedinEmpire’sclothing;withanappearancepleasingtotheeye.Whiletheyweren’tparticularlysuspicious,iftheypossessedevenabitofstrengththeywouldcertainlybeabletowalkthroughtheforest.JuraForest’smonstersarenotparticularlystrongindividually.Thatis,thatstatementwouldbetrueifthemonstershadnotbecomeactivesometimeago.Currently,enteringtheforestistrulydangerous.TravelingthroughtheDwarfKingdomisfarsafer.“Theyareindeedsuspicious…can’tletmyguarddownaroundthem.”Youmureasonedtohimself.Therewasnothingstrangeabouttheirtale,andtheyopenedthemselvesquicklytotherestofthegarrison.Atfirstglance,noproblem,right?However,hisintuitionsaidotherwise.Andinsuchcasesheshouldtrusthisgut.That’sthewayoflifethatletYoumulivetillthisday.“Well,theydoseemcapable,solet’sputthemtouse!”Hesimplydecided.Whatevertheirintentionswere,Youmuwouldonlyhavetomakesureheusedthemhimselfinreturn.Thereweresimplytoofewpeopleinthegarrison,andonlyafewofthemwereparticularlyskillful.Sowelcomingtwostrongindividualsintotheirgroupwouldonlybenefitthem.

Thesuspiciousonesarethethreecapturedadventurers.Heorderedthemtoleadthewaytothismysteriouscity,andtheydon’tshowanysignsoflying.Therefore,thecitymusttrulyexist.Theydon’tseemkeenonescaping,sohehadthemuntied.Thethree,aswell,havegottenfriendlywiththesquad,andareboastingabouttheirachievements.Seemsliketheyreallyareadventurers.Butbecausetheycamefromadifferentcountry,hehasneverheardofthem.AndbeingonlyatBrank,theyaren’tfamousenoughtobeknownoutsidetheirborders.Theyarecapableveterans,nonetheless.

「Oh,sothere’sacityaheadofhere?Onemadebymonsters?」「Yeah,yeah!Thefirsttimewewentthere,theybroughtusyakiniku!Itwasdelicious!」「Atthattimewewerepursuedbybyastampedeofgiantants.Mylifewasflashingbeforemyeyes!」「Butasaresult,wegottomeetRimuru-danna,soI’mhappythathappened.」「WhowouldRimuru-dannabe?」「Ah,theheadofthecity!Thecityismostlypopulatedbyhobgoblins.AndtheonewhorulesthemallistheslimeRimuru-danna!」「What?Aslimehasfollowers?」「Yeah!Rimuruisaverycuteslime!」「…actually,guys,areyousurewecanrevealallofthis?Keepmeoutofit,okay?」「…,consideringwearebringingthemthere,Idon’tseeareasontohideit.Infact,wouldn’titbeworseiftheygetthewrongideaandcausetrouble?」「Yeah…“Don’tcomebackagain!”Iftheysaythat,I’llcry…」「Wehaven’tevenenteredthebathsyet…」

Whetherduetocarelessnessorsomeploy,theyareansweringanyquestionyouask.Youmucouldnotimagineanyulteriormotive.Butthecitywassuchabizarreconcept;howcoulditpossiblyexist?Foradelusion,however,itwasfartoodetailed.

「Ah!We’vereachedit!」

TheThiefClassGidoexclaimed.Youmusteppedforwardtoconfirm.Farahead,undertheshadowsoftrees,hecouldseeasilhouetteofacity’swalls.itwastrue.Yetthatthoughtonlyincreasedhistension.Acitymadebymonsters.Aconceptdifficulttoquicklyaccept.Butthereitwas.Wouldhebegreetedbysnakesordemons…?Youmuflashedafearlesssmileandproceededtowardsthecity.

＊　＊　＊

ShowingMilimaroundthecity,WasafarhardertaskthanIoriginallythought.Ifyou’veeverbroughtasmallkidtoanamusementparkyouknowhowIfeel.Ifyoulookawayforasecond,she’sgone.That’sexactlywhatit’slike.

「Oii!Didn’tItellyounottakeoffrunning!」「Wahahahaha!Overhere!What’sthis?!」「Listen!JustlistentowhatI’msaying!」「Wahahahaha!What’swrong?I’mlistening?」

Noyouaren’t.Shewasstrangelyexcited,runningaroundallovertheplace.WhenshemetGabilamomentago,

「Ooooh!!!ADragonewt!Wahahaha!Workinghard?」「Yeah!IamtheDragonewtGabil!Whowouldyoube?Shorty!」

*Buchi!*

「Huh?Didyousaysomething?Wouldyouliketotrydyingonce?」

ShelightlykickedGabilintheknee,and,afterhelosthisbalanceandfell,

shedroveherfistintohisstomach.Lettingoutasingle“Gofu!”,Gabilwasonthebrinkofdeath.H-hey,waitasecond…didn’tshepromisenottorampage…?

「Listen,fool!I’minaverygoodmoodrightnow,soI’llletyouoffwiththis.Don’teverlookdownonmeagain!Seriously,who’sashorty,who…」

Shesaid.Anymoreanddeath,huh?WhatafrighteninggirlMilimis!OrshouldIjustcallherplainscary?ToGabil’sgoodluck,hewascarryingatestproductrestorationpill.ProbablyheadingtoKurobeeforarequest.Butevenwithamediumgradepill,hisbodydidn’tcompletelyheal.Trulyafistthatcanone-shotanyone.Sheprobablyheldherselfback,too.Butnowthatithascometothis,I’mprettysurethepromisenottorampagenolongerapplies.

Gabillimpedaway.Withabenevolentnod,Milimwavedhimgoodbye.Andasifnothinghadhappened,

「Thatguysisreallysturdy!HowaboutIstrengthenhimabitmore?」

Pleasedon’taskmethat.Ithought.

「Nope,never!It’sbadtobullytheweak!」「Mu?Isee…bullyingtheweakisbad!Iknowthat!」「O-oh.Ifyouknewthat,thenfromnowon…」

Icouldonlyaskthatmuch.Thatis,Idon’thaveanywaytostopher.Withherexplosivetemper,IcanonlypraythatGabilwouldbetheonlyvictim.

AndlikethisIcontinuedtoshowheraround.Sheobservedthemakingofarmor,andrequestedaset.Sheobservedthesewingofclothing,andbecameGoblinas’dressupdoll.Sheobservedthefarming,andhelpedplowthefields.I’veneverseen

someoneplowafieldthatquickly.Andthusthedaypassed.

Bythetimethenightcame,everyoneinthecityhasheardofthesmalldespot.Assemblingtheleadersinthedininghall,sheintroducedherself.

「I’mMilimNava!It’sapleasure!」

That’swhatshesaid.

「Hmm?Isn’tMilimanameofademonlord?」

HavingspentthedaypracticingwithBenimaru,Souei,andHakurou,Shionmutteredthatquestion.

「Haha,whattheyhellareyousaying?There’snowayademonlordcouldbehere!」

Benimarulaughedrejectingherquestion.Thisisbad.Atthisrate,we’llhaveanotherGabil-styletragedy.Iwantedtosalvagethesituation,but

「WhatkindofrelationshipdoyouhavewithRimuru-sama?Haveyoubecomefriends?」

Soueiasked.Milim,whoseemedabouttoexplodeamomentago,nowfidgetedbashfully.Withherfacebrightred,

「Um,well…ratherthanfriends…we’reclosefriends!」「Isthathowitwas,forgivemyrudeness.IamSouei.IamRimuru-sama’sfaithfulservant.Pleasetakecareofme!」

AsexpectedofSouei.Goodlooksandaneloquenttonguetomatch.Actually,Milim-kun.Sincewhendidwebecomeclosefriends?

「Umm,sincewhenareweclosefriends?」

Iaskedtimidly,

「Eh?Wearen’t!?」

Atearbegantoforminhereyes.Fasterthanthetear,however,energybegangatheringinherfist!!!

「Justkidding!We’rereallyclosefriends!Bestfriendsforever!」

Iquicklyadded,evadingdanger.Almosthitalandminemyself.Notlettingagabilhappenagain.

「Isee!You’regoodatsurprisingpeople!」

Shegrinnedbroadly.Asimplyfellow.Simple,buthardtodealwith.Carelessnessisforbiddenfromnowon.Ithought,reachinganewstepofenlightenment.Benimarustillhasn’trealizedthesituation.Needtowarnhimlater.UnlikeSouei,hedoesn’tunderstandawoman’sheartatall.He’sevenworseatitthanIam.Ifhewasn’tahandsomeguy,hewouldsurelybehatedbyeveryone.Stupidpeoplealwaysendupsuffering.Theproblemis,hewon’tsurvivesufferingcausedbyMilim.Theconversationendedthusasfoodwasbroughtout.Milimhappilybeganeating.I,too,changedintomyhumanformandremovedthemask.WhenMilimsawthat,

「Ah!Soyou’retheonewhokilledGelmudo!Isee!」

Shesaid.Withahugesmileonherface.Theotherpeoplepresentreacteddifferently.Theylookedatme,pressingforanexplanation.Iwon’tbeabletofoolthem,itseems.

Whendinnerended,Milimlookedreadytofallasleep.

SoIhadShunaescorthertoaguesthouse.Iwonderifshe’llbecomplainingaboutthebedandsuch…Sayingsomethinglike:“Notabed,Iwanttatamimatwithafuton!”Well,can’tgiveherwhatwedon’thave.I’lljustleaveittoShuna.Then,Iexplainedtoday’seventstoeveryone.

「Isee…ThatwastrulyapowerfulhitItook.Isawmyfatherbeckoningtomefromheaven!」「What?Seemslikeyou’restilloutofit.Yourfatherisstillalive!」「Ah!Right.Howrudeofme!」

Gabil’sresponseaside,everyoneelsewassurprised.Well,duh.Ademonlordhadshowedup.

「But,justasanote,Ihadherpromisenottorampage,soweshouldbefine,right?」

WhenIasked,

「Actually,it’snotlikeallmonsterscan’tbreakpromises,youknow?WhiletheDwarfKingdidsayapartofthetruth,thatisn’tthewholeofit.」

Kaijinreplied.Hakurouandtheotheroninoddedtothis.

「Rimuru-sama,forexample,Ihavenoproblemtellinglies.」「Metoo.Actually,I’mprettygoodatit!」

SoueiandBenimaruadded.Thatmeans?

「Inotherwords…」

Accordingtotheirexplanation,onlymonstersofspontaneousbirthhavetroublelying.Thosebornofparentsarenotasrestricted.Besides,whattheDwarfKingwasreferringtowasacaseof“PledgeMagicontopofswearinguponyourveryexistence”.

Ishouldn’thaveignoredtoinquireaboutitfromthe『GreatSage』.Whilethedemonsaretrulyrestricted,thenormalmonstersaren’tso.Whichiswhy…

「Milimcangolyingallshewant?」「That’swhatitwouldmean…」

Hakurounodded.Inthatcase,whatshouldwedo?

「However,shedoesn’tseemtointendtocausetrouble,and,evenifshedid,wecouldn’tstopher,canwe?」

Iagreedwiththatanalysis.Evenwithallofusworkingtogether,we’dfail.

「Right.Let’sletherdowhatshewants,andifworstcomestoworst,we’llhaveRimuru-samastopher.Theyareclosefriends,afterall!」「「「Noobjections!!!」」」

WHAT!!!Benimaruyoubastard!BythetimeIthoughtthatitwasalreadytoolate.Myusual“leaveittoothers”policyseemstohavecomebacktohauntme.Can’tbehelped,Ithoughtandletoutasigh.Andthus,everyonecametobelievethatIwasinchargeofsupervisingDemonLordMilim.

SoendedthefirstdayofHurricaneMilim.

Chapter50-FrontierGarrison

Themorningofthefollowingday,Startedwithgreattribulations.FirstthinginthemorningIwokeMilimup.Herexpressiongrumpy,Ihadherchangetolookpresentable.Thenewclothingsheworewastheoneshehadrequestedyesterday,anditcameoutprettywell.TheGothicDresswasprobablydifficulttomovein,hencethereasonforherrequest.

「Whydoesademonlordneedtowakeupsoearlyinthemorning!」

Shewasgrumblinghaughtily,buthermoodimprovedbybreakfast.Childrenreallyaresimple.Whileshewaseating,Iwasbusythinking.Idon’tparticularlymindbecominghersupervisor,butIwanttogotoahumancity.So,shouldIbringheralong?Ikindofhaveabadfeelingaboutdoingthat.No,letmerephrase…it’sboundtoleadtoadisaster!Tobringsuchadangerouschildtoaplaceshe’sneverbeenbefore…well,it’snotthatIcan’t,it’sthatIwon’t.Butevenso,leavingherhereisbadformyheart.WhileMilimisvisitingIshouldprobablyabstainfromleavingforhumancities.

Afterwefinishedbreakfast,ItookMilimtothesmithy.Itookonmyhumanformandworeamask;since,asaslime,Iwouldn’tbeabletotryoutaweapon.Andoncewereachedit,IgreetedKurobee.

「IsthethingIaskedforyesterdayready?」「Oo!Thisone,right?ShouldbegoodforMilim-sama’spersonaluse!」

Hesaid,showingmethefinishedproduct.Yesterday,hehadmeasuredthesizeofMilim’shandsafterbeingaskedtomakehersomething.It’sDragonKnuckles!Thepointofsuchgloveswouldbetopreventinjurywhenpunchingbarehandedandtoincreasetheforceoftheblow…normally.That’snotwhywegaveherthegloves.No,ourgoalwastheexactopposite.Thelightbutdense“DemonSteel”isactuallysurroundedbyashock-absorbingmaterial.Right!Whensheequipsthis,herblowwillbereducedtoonly10%ofitsnorm!AndweusedDemonSteelinhopesofattachingaregenerativeeffecttothem.Thebestpartofitallwillbethedecreaseinherdestructivepower.

「Milim,trythison!」

IpassthedragonknucklestoMilim,who,clearlyexcited,happilyacceptsthem.Andshequicklyputsthemon.Shelightlythrowssomepunchesintheair.

「Oh!Thisisgreat!Myhandsfeelreallylight!」

Alright,seemstobeworking.Ifherhandsfeellight,Iguessherpowershouldhavedecreasedabit.Andformyself,Itookanewlydevelopedsword.ThelastoneIhadbrokemyself,soIhadthemrepairit.Ihadtriedcopyingitmyself,butevenifitlookedidenticalitsperformancewasclearlydifferent.Seemscopyinganitemisimpossiblewhenthecreator ’sskillsaretoohigh.Evenifitlooksthesame,evenifmyappraisingabilityclaimstheyarethesame,therearenonethelesssmalldifferences.Idrawtheswordtocheck.Amazing.Kurobee’sabilityistrulysomething.IwishIcouldfinallygetaswordspecializedformyuse.Seemsliketheystillneedtoworkonthat;Iamnotgettingimpatient,butIamlookingforwardtoit.Nodding,Iputtheswordbackintothescabbard.

ThemomentMilimandIacquiredourweapons,Rigurdocamerunningover.Howwellheruns…

「Rimuru-sama,thisiswhereYouwere!Anunknowngrouphascome!」

Fromwhathetoldme,wehaveanarmedsquadnearthecity.Amongthemarethethreeadventurers.Somehow,thethreeidiotsmanagedbringinganarmedgroupover.Whyaresomanyproblemsoccurringnow?Thoseidiots…soIthought,but,

「Well,let’sgomeetthem.」

Isaid,andheadedtotheplacewhereRigurdoleftthem.Andasifitwasthemostnaturalthingintheworld,Milimfollowed.WhenIarrivedIsawRigurandtheguardssurroundingtenorsoarmedmen.Theyarealldressedsimilarly.However,theirequipmentseemsratherpoor,andtheirabilitylikewise.Ourequipmentisworldssuperior.Nonetheless,amongthemareamanandawomanwithclearlysuperiorequipment.Andnotjusttheirequipment–theirskillsalsoseemprettyhigh.Andofcourse,thethreeidiots.Whentheysawme,

「Oh!Rimuru-danna,it’sbeenawhile!」「Howdy!Wecametohangout!」「It’sbeenages!Thingshappened…sothere’smoreofus!」

Theygreetedme.Thingshappened,huh.Seemsliketheyarethecauseofthis“incident”,

「Yo.So,whomightthesepeoplebe?」「Aboutthat…」

Theyexplainedthedetails.Duringhisintroduction,themannamedYoumukeptlookingatuswhileonguard.Whentheidiotsfinished,

「Pleasedtomakeyouracquaintance!FarmasKingdom,Count’sDomain,FrontierGarrisonCaptainYoumu’sthename.Weheardthatmonstersbuiltacityheresowecametocheck.Iheardthechiefofthecityisaslime,couldImeetit?」

Hegreetedusthus.

「Ah,pleasepardonthebelatedintroduction.Iamtheheadofthiscityanditsrepresentative.IamknownasRimuruTempest.ThoughIcurrentlyappearthus,Iam,infact,aslime!」

Iresponded.

「Isthathowitwas,pardonmyrudeness.Cabalhadmentionedthat“Rimuru”isthenameofthehead,butIwasmisledbyyoubeingcalledaslime,yousee.Yourhumantransformationissimplymarvelous!」

WhetherflatteryornotIdon’tknow,butheseemsintentonpraisingme.Iwonderifmonsterscapableofhumantransformationarerare?Notthatitmattersrightnow.

「Bethatasitmay.Aremonsterscapableoftransformingintohumansrare?Actually,forgetthatquestion;whatwouldbeyourbusinesstoday?」「Ah,aboutthat…Ourgoalwastoconfirmthereport.Therehasneverbeenacaseofmonstersbuildingacitybefore,yousee…Moreover,shouldthatreportprovetrue,there’sthepossibilitythatyouwillposeathreattoourcountry.Thus,consideringthatthecitytrulyexists,wemustconfirmwhetherornotyoucouldposeathreattous.Couldwepossiblyimposeuponyouourpresence?」「Isee.However,ifwewereintendingonbecomingyourenemiesandweresuchaterrifyingcity,howcouldweletyoustayhere?」

Uponhearingmyretort,themannamedYoumuscratchedhishead.

「Ah,damnit.I’lljusttellyouthetruth.Frankly,Ididn’tbelievetherewasacityofmonstershere.NowIknowIwaswrong.And,accordingtothesethreeadventurers,you’vegotreallygoodlivingconditionsaroundhere.Pleaseallowourstayandthestationingoftroopshere!」

Hesaidinonebreath.Andtothethreeidiots,

「Iapologizefordoubtingyou!」

Hedeeplybowedhisheadinapology.Ihadplannedtoobservehimforawhile,butmaybeit’salrighttoconsiderhimanhonestguy.

「Fufuuun!Didn’twetellyou!Well,aslongasyouunderstand!Itdoesn’tdotoalwayssuspectpeople!」

Forsomereason,Ellenproudlyresponded.Theothertwowereexpressingtheirapprovalofherwordsorhappinessatfinallyarriving.Well,hedoesn’tseemlikeabadguy,butapprovingtheirpresenceisadifferentmatter.

「Regardingstationingyourtroopshere:forwhatpurpose?」

Youmufacedmeandbeganexplainingtheirsituation.TheirunitwasestablishedbyFarmasKingdom’sCounttoprotectthevillagesagainstmonsters;theyarecomposedofthirtymembersinthreedivisions.Fromwherewestood,theycouldeasilyaccessthehighwayandnearbyvillages.

「Moreover,ifwelayroadstothehighway,we’dbesavingtimeandestablishingatraderoute.Ofcourse,wewillofferourlabortowardsthatend!」

Heendedwithaproposal.Evenifit’spossibletogethereonhorseback,thesameisnottrueforcarriages.Wehadn’tclearedanytreesinthedirectionofthehighway.Wedidn’twanttostandoutatthetime;butthatwasbeforetheearlierorcincident.Nowthattheforesthasbeguntocalmdownweshouldthinkaboutopeningatraderoute.Soperhapsitmightbeagoodideatoaccepthisproposal.

Sinceit’sbadtastetocontinuesuchdiscussiononourfeet,Iguidedeveryonetothecafeteria.

Thoughourmenuselectionisstilllimited,itisnonethelessdelicious.Sinceweunfortunatelyarelowonsalt,pepper,andotherseasoning,wecan’tofferanysubtlespicing.OrsoI’dsayifnotforShuna’sgodlycookingskills.Thatis,hersandthatofherapprenticechefsGoblinas.ThenumberofGoblinashasbeensteadilyincreasing.Thesecurityandorderofthecityismaintainedbymenwhilewomentakecareofhouseholdmattersandcooking.Sincetheyhavetheirindividualtalents,theyspreadthemselvesamongCooking,Cleaning,Education,Sewing,Assistance,andotherprofessions.TheirefficiencycanbeprimarilyattributedtoRigurdo’sskillatgoverning.Afterswitchingtothecafeteriawecontinuedourdiscussion.Amusingly,Milimsatnexttome.It’skindofcutehowcarefullyshehandlesherdragonknuckles.

「Bytheway,Rimuru-danna,whosedaughterwouldshebe?」

Cabalwentandasked.Milimreactedtobeingcalledadaughter,butexercisedself-restraint.Goodwordchoice,Cabal.Can’tforgetthatthiscafeteriahasthebombnamedMilim.

「Oh,aguest.Areallyimportantperson,sotreatherwithutmostrespect,okay?」

Iwarnedthemaheadoftime.Iftheyignoremywarning,they’llhaveonlythemselvestoblame.Notmyproblemthen.

「I’mMilim.Pleasetomeetyou!」

ThoughMilimsosimplyintroducedherself,let’snotforgetsheisacrueldemonlord.Sheissoadorable,however,thatshecertainlydeceivedthemall…Butamanandawoman,whoseequipmentwasmuchbetterthantherest,hadaworriedexpressionontheirfaces.Actually,ratherthanexpression,it’stheairaroundthem–itchanged

slightly.TheylookedatMilimwithcompletedisbelief.Didtheyfindherout?No,there’snowaythatwouldbetrue.SoIthoughtuntilIlookedcloseratthetwo…Huh?Whyaretwodevilsdisguisingthemselvesashumansamongthem?Yes,thetwoofthemaredevils.Asimplehumantransformationcouldnotfoolmy『MagicPerception』.FromwhatYoumusaid,theyjoinedthemhalfway.Infiltration,isthatit?

(Hey,twodevilsinfiltratedthecity,beonyourguard!)

Iannouncedusing『ThoughtTransmission』.Well,it’sfineaslongastheydon’tdoanythingfunny.

(Rimuru-sama,consideringthattheyshowedupatthesametimeasDemonLordMilim,couldtheybeconnectedsomehow?)(Iamofthesameopinion,Rimuru-sama.Aploytomakeuslowerourguard?)(Nooooope!Iwouldn’tdosomethingthatannoying!!!)

Milimmadeherwayintomy『ThoughtTransmission』network.Sheseemstohavefiguredoutourfrequencyandforcedherwayin.Whatanabsurdthingtodo.EvenifImakeitsoundsosimple,makenomistake–itrequiresanabsurdlyhighlevelofskill

(Heyyou,didyoujustbreakintoournetwork?!)(Fufun!Thatkindofthingiseasyforme!Butletbygonesbebygones.Thosetwohavenorelationtome!!)(Butyouknowthem?)(…Eh?I..Idon’t?)(…)(…)(Well,whatever.Juststayonyourguard,everyone!)

Thoughtheyaren’trelated,theyareacquainteditseems.Noneedtoforcehertosayitifshedoesn’twantto.It’senoughtoknowwhatweneedtostayvigilantagainst.

WhileIwasconversingthus,everyonewasbusywithself-introductions.Andthatseemstohaveendedasecondago.

「Nowthateveryoneintroducedthemselves,let’sgettotheheartofthematter!」

Themainquestionwaswhethertoallowthemtoestablishabasehere;but,beforethat,theyneedtoclarifysomething.

「IshouldbeconsideringthisapersonalrequestofYoumu-san,shouldn’tI?」「Yes,thatwouldbeaccurate.Infact,thecountrywillnotknowofthis.」「Why?」「Hmph.Thoughthere’sabunchofreasons,frankly,Ihatethefeudallord.Ouremployer,CountNidoleMaidam,isnodecentman.Thekindofguywhoprioritizespersonalbenefitoverthatofthepeople.He’sgreedy,androughwithhismen.Thoughheleviesaheavytaxonthepeopleinreturnforprotection,thegarrisonseesnoneofit.Theworstkindofman.Well,assomeonewhobadmouthshisemployer,Iamnodecentmaneither.Inanycase,asaresult,weareseverelyunderstaffed.Ifwesetupabaseherewecouldeasilyaccessthesurroundingvillages.But,ifwereportthis,he’sboundtomeddlewithyourcity.Theclothingyouproduceisyourspecialty,right?It’sworldsbetterthanwhathiscityproduces,youknow?Well,thisisconsideredneutralzone,soIcan’timaginehimmovingindependently,but…」

Isee.Agreedyfeudallord.Acommonsetting.Yes,Iwouldn’twanttohavetodealwithsuchagloomycharacter.ButconsideringhowfranklyYoumuexplainsallthis,hemustbeserious.Heseriouslywantstosetupabasehere.Toearnmytrust,he’sspeakingonlythetruth.

Ourconversationcontinued.AfterRigurdoandtheonivoicedtheiropinions,wepassedourdecision.

Wedecidedtoletthemuseasingleemptyhouse.Ofcourse,shouldtheycauseproblems,wewillimmediatelyevictthem.Moreover,we’llbecollectingmoneyfortheirmeals.ThatwedecidedtoincludeafterhearingKaijin’sopinion.Asinglenightforasinglepersoncoststhreesilvercoins.Theaveragerateatacityforasunnyroomisbetween5~8coins.Asingleroomataninncouldbeaslowas3coins.Thatincludesasinglesimplemeal.Stayingwithoutamealwillcostbetween1~2coins.Theimperialcapitalwouldeasilybefivetimesasexpensive.Bytheway,ahundredsilvercoinsisequaltoasinglegoldone.IstillhavethetwentygoldpiecesIgotfromKaidou.Byourstandards,asinglesilvercoinequalsathousandyen,andasinglegoldcoinisahundredthousandyen.Thoughmonetaryvaluealsodependsonitemcostsandsuch;well,inanycase,Kaidouseemstohavespentalot.That’sonlyexpectedconsideringthevalueofthemedicine,however.Well,itshouldbeenoughtokick-startoureconomy.

「Threecoinsistoohigh,pleaseloweritslightly!」

Youmubegannegotiatingthecost.

「Hmph!Listenup,theroomincludesthreemealsaday,andabath!Ifyouhaveaproblem,we’lllendyouastoragehouseinstead,howaboutit?Therewe’llchargeasinglesilvercoin,butnomeals!」

YoumuponderedKaijin’swords,butgaveupintheend.Heprobablyrememberedthemealhejustate.Andthus,welentoutlodgingtoFarmasKingdom’sCount’sDomainGarrisonGuardledbyYoumu.Wealsoletthemusethefirstflooroftheguardhouseastheiroffice.Youmu’sgroupbroughtintheirequipmentthere.SeemsliketheyuseaMagicCommunicatortypeofthingthatallowsthemtocontactindividualunits.However,unfortunately,theycanonlyspeakforthreeminuteseveryhour.Themagiccostissimplysohighthatsotheycan’tsupplyenough.

Thusit’smostlyusedtorelyunitordersorforemergencysituations.Anexpensivepieceofequipment,theyseemtoonlyhavesixofthose.That’salsoduetohowcheaptheiremployeris.

Includingthetwo“newcomers”,thehumansquadiscomposedof32people.Fromwheretheyarelocated–well,hereasofnow–theycanreacheveryvillagewithinaday.They’vegottenmuchmoreefficientasaresult,itseems.They’vealsogottenusedtolifehere.AfterYoumucontactedthemviathemagiccommunicator,theyallassembledhere.Amerrybunchtheyare.

「「「Pleasetakecareofusfromnowon!」」」

Theyallshouted.

「Ourpleasure!However,shouldyoucauseanytrouble,Ican’tguaranteeyourlives.Sobecareful,okay?」

Ithrewinalightthreatinthere.Thoughwe’reclearlymonsters,theywereontheirguardonlyforthefirstfewminutes.Butlet’snotallowthemtolettheirguarddownsomuchthattheycausearuckushere.Thoughtheyseemlikeabunchofgoodguys,somaybeI’mworryingtoomuch.Asplanned,IthenintroducedYoumutoRigur.Afterweexplainedhowfarourdefensenetworkspans,thefrontiergarrisondecidedtofillintheholesbetweenusandthevillages.Sincethere’salotofroomtospare,asingleunitcanworkonbuildingaroad.Andthefreehighorcconstructiondivisionwillbesenttohelpthemwiththat.

Thus,albeitveryunexpectedly,Youmu’sgroupbecamefamiliarwithourcity.

Chapter51-TotheHumanCity

TwoweekshavepassedsinceweletYoumu’sgroupin.Thehighwayplaniscontinuingsmoothly.Contrarytowhatyou’dthink,thefrontiergarrisonmembersareratherhardworking.They’vealsogottenveryfriendlywiththehobgoblinguardians.Thecity’smonstersaredutifullyupholdingtherules,andareunexpectedlyfriendlytowardsthehumans.Iwasexpectingtheguardiansandthegarrisontolookdownoneachotherduetomonster-humananimosityandall,butIguessIwaswrong.Probably,sincetheyusedtoberuffiansandhooligans,theyaretryingtochange.AsforYoumu,hemightbethekindofpersonwhoattractspeople.Hehasanauraofcharismaabouthim.Soevendividinguptheresponsibilitieshewashandedwasquitesmooth–whetherornothisdesiretocooperatewithusaffectedhisefficiency.Wehavegoblinridersonguardandlookoutdutyaroundthecity,butthere’ssimplytoomanyofthem.Therefore,wedecidedtohavetenriderssupportthefrontiergarrisonwhentheyanswereddistresscalls.Forthehumansthatassistancewassomethingtheywouldn’tevendaretoaskfor,sotheyhappilyaccepted.However,theyinsistedtoreturntothefavor,sotheydecidedtoteachusformationtactics,swordskills,andotherprofessionstheyknew.Amongthosewasaratherpopularsurvivalskillsthatwereboundtoincreaseourfoodvariety.Whileitwouldn’tleadtoabundance,itissomethingwecanbegratefulfor.Thusourrelationshipkeptimproving.

Andoncewemoreorlesscametotrusteachother,thegarrisonhadaproposal…no,afavortoask.Theyaskedwhetherwecouldmaintaintheirequipment.Itseemsthefactthatourequipmentisfarsuperiortotheirshasbeenbotheringthem.

「Inthefirstplace,it’splaincheatingformonsterstousehighlevelequipment!」

Oneoftheirmemberssaid,speakingonbehalfoftheentiregroup.Frankly,Iagree.SincegettingtheDwarfs’technologicalassistancewe’vebeenabletocreateequipmentfarabovewhatIwouldconsiderideal.

「Fufun!Well,hey.Dwarfarmoristhebestintheworld!」

Kaijinmerrilyreplied,

「No,no…thatbeingso,whyisevenmasterGarminthiscity?ThatIfindstrange!」

Cabalalsoexpresseddisbelief.Theeliteamongthedwarfs–Garm.Kaijinisalsoamasterofhiscraft,andwealsohavetheexpertKurobee.Ourcity’ssmithywouldeasilymatchthatofanycapitalcity.Moreover,wehaveGabilbringingrawmaterialsfromthecaveonceinawhile;sowehaveanabundanceofhighrankingingredients.Ifpeoplelearnedofthis,therewouldboundtobeplentyofbuyers;however,wedon’tplantosellany.Therearestillhobgoblinswithoutacompletesetofequipment.Ournumbersaresolargethatwearehavinghardtimemeetingdemand.EvenwithKurobee’scopyskill–theonehegotfrom『Researcher』-ittakesawhiletofinishanitemsinceitsnotacceleratedby『GreatSage』likemine.It’scertainlyfasterthanifmakingtheitembyhand,buthe’sstilljustasingleperson.Thus,he’sbeenemployingartisan-wannabeesfromamongtheyoungmenandwomentobecomehisdisciples;andhasbeenproducingallitemsatthefactoriesforthemtosee.Perhapsoneoftheseyoungonesmaybecomeatrueartisansomeday.So,consideringthepossibilityoffutureexperts,Kurobee’scurrentactionsareforthebestinthelongterm.

「Whatever,it’sfine–yourrequest!Askmetolookatyourequipmentany

timeI’mfree!」

Kaijinlightlyaccepted.He’sprobablyplanningonusingthemtohavehisstudentspractice.Hemightlooklikeabigsofty,buthe’sactuallyanextremelyprudentoldman.

「Uooooooo!AsexpectedofKaijin-san!Lookathimtalk!」「Oioi,yousure?!」「Inthatcase,lookatminetoo!!!」

Hewassurroundedinothersimilarjoyousshouts.IguessIshouldfeelrelievedathiskindness.

.

*Dosu,Zusha,Boko,Bokon!*

Thatwasthesoundthataccompaniedourfall.By“ourfall”Imeanmine,Benimaru’s,Souei’s,andShion’s.

「Wahahaha!Yousuck,yousuck,yousuck,yousuck!!!」

Ouropponentexclaimedwhilelaughingloudly.Who?DemonLordMilimofcourse.Wehadamockbattlewithher,fourversusone,butthatdidn’tgooverwell.Andshe’sevenusingherdragonknuckles.Shealwayswearsthem.OnceatmealtimeImadehertakethemoffcausinghertosulktherestoftheday.Ishouldn’thave?No,thatwasclearlyabreachofetiquette.I’mgladIhadherwearthemthistime.Sheshouldalwayswearthemduringpractice.Butthatdoesn’tapplytomealtime.Asifreceivingalesson,IspardailywithMilim.Butshe’ssostrong–tothepointthatit’sfunny!–thatduelingherisoutofthequestion.So,wedecidedonthisfourversusone.Ridiculouspower.Acheat-likeability.Bottomlessstamina.I’mgladwe’renotenemies.

WealsohadHakurousparwithheronce.Unfortunately,notevenhisattacksreachher.Howeverhecanputupafight,whichisimpressiveinitself.TheoverwhelmingpowerIfeltfromtheDwarfKing,andtheoverwhelmingpowerfromMilim.Thedifferencebetweenthemisfartoogreat.ThatmuchIunderstoodafterbeingbeatendowninsuccessionhere.HadI,duringthematchwiththedwarfking,used『GreatSage』battlemode,there’sachanceIcouldhavewon.ButthatkindofthingismeaninglessbeforeMilim.It’snotamatchofskillortrick.There’svariouskindsofstrength,huh…?Thusthriceaday.Asaresult,we’veallgottenmuchstrongercomparedtotwoweeksago.Hakurouobservesthematches.He’sperfectedhisskills,sohewon’tbenefitmuchfromthese.Asforus,ourskillsweresolacking,thatwemanagedtoimprovegreatlythesepasttwoweeks.

「You’vegottenprettygood!IfRimurudecidedtobecomeademonlordnow,Iwouldbetotallyforit!」

Milimhappilyexclaimed.Iamnotplanningonbecomingademonlord!Besides,wedidn’tevenlasttwentyminutestoday.Completefailures.EvenifIcalledmyselfademonlord,Iwouldn’tlivelongenoughtoseeitrecorded.Benimaru,Souei,andShionreturntopracticeaftergettinginstructionsfromHakurou.Whatalivelybunchtheyare.Whilewatchingthemspar,

「Bytheway,Milim,whydidyoubecomeademonlord?」

Isuddenlygotcuriousandasked,

「Yeaaaah,aboutthat…whatwasthereasonagain?Therewasabunchofsadthingsandmessedupthings,right?」

「Whyareyouaskingme?」「Noreason.Can’trememberitwell.It’sbeentoolongago;Iforgot!」

Milimlookedasifshedidn’twanttorememberthegriefandhorror.

「Isee.Well,ifyouforgot,there’snoneedtoremember!」

Thoughshelookslikeachild,sheisanancientdemonlord.FromwhatIheard,theyoungestofdemonlordsisatleast200yearsold.ThatwouldbemyenemyLeonCromwell.Myprey.Thereareotheryoungdemonlords;theyarearoundfivehundredyearsoldandhaveexperiencedthegreatwar.Milimbelongstotheoldgeneration.Inotherwords,she’sbeenlivingforaninsaneamountoftime.Chancesare,shedoesn’thavemanyfriends.She’sbeenlivingforsolongthatshemusthavelostmanygoodfriendsbynow…

「Hey,doyouhavefamilyorsomeonewhoworriesaboutyou?Isitokaytostayherewithoutlettinganyoneknow?」

Suddenlygrowingworried,Iaskedher.WhenIdid,

「Ah!!!Iforgot.Right…I’llberightback!Thoughthismighttakeawhile.But,I’llbegonefor2~3yearsatthelongest.I’llbeback!」

Shesuddenlyexclaimed.

「What?Sosuddenly.Hey.Rightnow?」「Mu,yeah.Well,it’snotlikewewon’tmeetagain！SoI’moff!」

Shesaid,andimmediatelychangedintoherGothicDress.That’swiththeDressChangemagic–averyusefulskill.Iwouldhaveaskedhertoteachme,butIcandothatnaturallymyself,sothere’snoneed.It’susuallyrecommendedtopeoplewithlotsofequipment.Thoughyouhavetolearn〈SpacialMagic〉beforethisone,anditisfarhardertolearn.

Aftershefinishedchanging,shelookedatmewithasmile,

「Well,berightback!」

Sheflewoffaftersayingjustafewwords.Andwithoutmakingasoundsheflewawayataspeedfasterthanthespeedofsound.Sheleftassuddenlyasshehadarrived.

「Hmm?HasMilim-samagoneoffsomewhere?」

Shionasked.

「Yeah.Shehadrememberedsomeunfinishedbusiness.She’llbebackin2~3yearsatthelatest,shesaid.」「2~3years?Howeasilyshewentonsuchanarduousjourney,andforsuchalongtime,no?」「But,tosomeonewithherlifespan,surelyit’sbut2~3days?」「Iguessitis!」「Maybeshe’sgoneofftoshowoffherclothinganddragonknucklestoherfriends…」

Shionmutteredthatlastlinemuchtotheapprovaloftheotheroni.Thatjustmightbethecase.Ifshewentshowingoffhergiftstoherfriendsaroundtheworld,shemightjustneed2~3yearsforthat.Thoughourimaginationwasprobablyjustrunningwildimaginingsuchascene,wesomehowbecameconvincedthatsheisinfactoutboastingtofriends.Solemnexpressionsdon’tsuitMilim.Andnowthatshe’sgone,I’mfeelingkindoflonely.We’vegottenthatcloseduringthesetwomeaslyweeks.Whatastrangedemonlordsheis.

Butthere’snotimetofeelsorryforourselves.Herdepartureisalsoachance.Wemustgotoahumanvillagerightnow.Aftercheckingitout,iftherearenoproblems,I’lltakeMilimtherenexttime.Previewingcontentisimportantbeforeapublicrelease.Thethreeidiotswereplanningtostayfortwoweeks,secretlygatheringmonsterbodyparts.Theyareusingittofulfillasubjugationrequest,aren’tthey?Butaretheyallowedtocheatlikethat?Well,it’snotreallymyproblem,butI’llhavethembuymysilencebyguidingmetoahumancity.

「Andso,you’reshowingtheway.」

Isaidinresponsetotheirtroubledexpressions,

「Weunderstand,danna!」「Weshallleadtheway!Shouldwealsostopbytheroyalcapitalontheway?」「Iknowhowtogetaroundthebackalleys,youknow?」

Theyaccepted.I’llleaveittothem.Idecidedtoleaveintwodays.WhenIhadgonetonotifyRigurdoofthefact,Ifoundoutthathehadalreadypreparedthebagsfordeparture.Howdiligent.Andafterusingthemagiccircletogettothecave,IhadGabilshowmetoourmediumgrademedicinestash.

「Oh,Rimuru-sama!Wehavebeenwaiting!」「My,Rimuru-dono!Iamecstaticthatyouletmeworkinsuchawonderfulenvironment!」

WhileonourwaythereweranintoBester ’slaboratory.UnlikeKaijinwhohastosuperviselotsofpeople,Bestercandevotehimselfwholeheartedlytoresearch.Sothismustfeellikeheaventohim.

「Youareeatingproperly,right?Notforgettingtosleep?」

Iasked,worried.

「Ofcourse.Whilethemealsarenotverydiverse,theyareverydelicious.SoInevermissameal.Asforsleep:Iamfrugalwithit,buthadabedpreparedhere.Besides,it’sgoodforyourbodynottosleepforawhile!」

Noit’snot…Ithought,buthe’sdoingwhathereallylikes.SoIdecidedtoleavehimwitha“don’toverdoit”line.

「Ohbytheway,betweenKurobeecopyingthemandbeingproducedhere,whichismoreefficient?」

Iasked,

「Wearegettingfasterhere.Oncewegetmoreworkersandproperequipment,we’llbeabletocontinueproductionwithoutrelyingonKurobee-dono.」

Iswhathesaid.SinceittakessometimetogrowHipoktegrass,wedon’tneedproductionspeedtoincreasetoomuch.

「Inthatcase,shouldIhavefivepeopleorsocomeaslabmembers?」「Hmm…Ineedtoteachthemthebasicstoo,soI’dlikeaboutten.SinceIwanttoberearingsuccessorsaswell,yousee.」

Currentproductionspeedisthreehourstodiluteonepill.Kurobeecanmanagethesameinasinglehour.Icanmakeoneimmediately,butIrefrainfromdoingso.Theyneedtobeabletomakeitwithoutmyinvolvement.Thus,they’llbeabletomanagewithoutmeinemergencysituations.However,theydocurrentlyfocusondilutingmyrestorativepillstocreatetwentymediumgradepills.Doingso,using〈MembraneCreation〉,isBester ’sjob.Alongthatwouldbeverydifficult,sohehasGabil’smenhelphim.AfterevolvingintoDragonewtstheylearnedtousesomesimplemagic,itseems.IfthreepeopleotherthanBesterlearntouseit,thespeedtriples.Workingonasinglepilleveryhour.Inotherwords,they’llbeabletocreatetwentymediumgradeones.Soinasingle8hourworkingday,they’lladd160pillstoourstock.Anexcellentproductionlinewe’vemadehere.Iftheyfailatgrowingmore,they’llbestuckwithotherchoreswhileBesterwillcontinuehisresearch.Whichmakessense.Approvingoftheirplans,IlefttoletRigurdoknow.

UntilnowBesterhasbeenworkingwithoutsleep,producingmorethaneightypiecesaday.Probablypreparingthecityforthefuture.Taking500piecesfromourstash,Idepositedthemintomystomach.

TheseIplantosellinhumancityandpurchasesomemagicstones.We’llfigureoutthepricewithKaijinlater.

「Wellthen,continueasyouhave.AsforBester-dono,pleasedonotoverexertyourself!」「Pleaseleaveittome!Iwillworkmyselftotheboneforyou!」「I’llleavethematterabouttenpeopletoyou!」

Theysawmeoff.Afterwards,IwenttoseeKaijintodecidethelowestpricewe’dselltheseat.Lowqualitymedicineiscalledpotionshereandsellsforabout3silvercoinsapiece.Whichisactuallyprettyhigh.It’snothardtoimagineone’searningsforthedaybeingspentonmedicine.However,thismedicinecantreat20%ofmostinjuriesandevengraveones.Incomparison,restorativemagicsuchas〈Heal〉willonlyrestore10%ofinjuriesandhardtouseinemergencysituations.Soourmedicineistwiceaseffective.Highgrademedicinecanrestore50%,butIdigress.Whatshouldwesetthepriceat?

「Listen,danna.Don’tsetthepricetwiceashigh.Sellnolowerthan15silvercoinsapiece.Thisisn’tsomethingabeginnerwouldbuy.It’smeantforBrankandaboveadventurers.It’salrighttoraisethepriceevenmore!Aimtosellatabout20silvers.」

Kaijinferventlyexplained.Ashesays.Thismedicineisveryuseful,sowe’dbeintroubleifwesetthepricetoolowandgettoolargeofanorder.Ifwedon’tmakeaprofitwecan’tbuymagicstones.Soaimingfor20silversapieceissmart.PerhapsIshouldalsoselloneortwoofmypersonalpills.AfterIacknowledgedhiswords,weendedthemeeting.Andthusfinishedourpreparations.

Thenextday,Imetupwiththethreeidiots.

Afterfinishingtheirpreparations,thetriowaswaitingforme.Ifwetakethehighwaywe’llrunstraightintoFarmasKingdom.TheCount’sdomainthatYoumuhasspokensomuchabout.Andthatwouldmeanmeetingthegreedycount,sonothanks.So,we’llbewalkingthroughtheforest.WeareaimingforthesmallcountryBrumund.TomeetwithFreedomAssociation’sguildmasteranddecideonacourseofaction.AyearhaspassedsinceIwasreincarnatedintothisworld.AndIamfinallyheadingtowardsahumancity.

Chapter52-Journey

TheDevilMyulanwasrelievedtofinallybeabletoreport.ShehadleftherbestfriendandtheviolentDemonlordMilimbehindinthecitywhichtheyweretomonitor,but,thiswassomethingcompletelyoutsideofherexpectations.Itsurprisedherthataweaklittleslimeistheheadofthecity,furthermore,Milim’sbehaviorwasalsosomethingshecouldn’tunderstand.Thewayademonlordthinksissomethinganordinarypersonwillneverunderstand.Rather,isn’tthatparticularDemonLordalittle,no,relativelyeccentric?Onaculturallevel,itseemsthedemonlordhasmadefriendsinthecitytheyweremonitoring.What’smore,thefactthattheheadofthetownisaslimewhocantakeontheformofamaskedpersonwasalsobeingreported.Justtobesafe,thefactthatMilimwasstayinginthecitywasnotreported.Idon’tthinkshe’lldoanythingthatwillviolatetheagreementbetweenthedemonlords.But,consideringthefactIcan’tunderstandwhatMilimisthinking,Imustbeverycautious.WedefinitelycannotusemagicinfrontofMilim.Ijudgedthatcommunicationmagicormagicingeneral,willinstantlybedetectedbyMilim.Ifshedoesn’tknowmyidentity,thereisachancethatshemightnotmakeamove.Thesearethetypesofthingsyoureport.

「Isee…Icanusethis.Goodwork,pleasecontinuetomonitorthem.」

Claymansaidthishappily,seeminglyhavingcomeupwithsomething.ButthishasnothingtodowithMyulan.Asthegarrison’sShaman,sheisservingasanofficer.(Stupidhumans.I’madevil,andyettheydon’tsuspectathing.)Althoughshelookeddownonthem,talkingtothemforsometimestirredupstrangeemotionsinherheart.

(I’llletitbeforthetimebeing.Iwishtoenjoythesemomentsforalittlelonger.)Shemadesuchawishsubconsciously.Thus,shewentbacktoworkwithoutbeingtooconcerned.

.

TheDemonGrucius,nowamemberofthefrontiergarrison,followedhisplatoonastheyadvancedintotheforest.Forabeastmansuchashe,horse-ridingwasmerechild’splay.Assuch,henaturallystoodoutintheteam.Evenwhenheheldbackhistrueabilities,hecouldn’tpossiblybeinferiortohumans.Therefore,hewasofferedtheroleofvicecaptainforoneofthethreeplatoons.However,herefusedstatingthatanewcomershouldnotholdsuchapositionevenaftertheplatooncommanderinsisted.Eventhoughhedrewsomeattentiontohimself,aslongashemaintainedhiscurrentsituation,everythingwillbefine.That’swhathebelieved.However,whatheiscurrentlyinterestedinisthegroupofgoblinwolfridersthatfollowedthem.ThestrangelyevolvedStarwolvesandtheirridersthehobgoblins.Asiftheywereaskilledteam,eventheirbreathingissynchronized.Thissuggestsahighlevelofproficiency.Aboveall,TheoneknownasGobutawasthebestamongstthehobgoblins.Basedonhisintuition,thebestcourseofactionistokillhimonsight.Gruciuscurledhistongue.Originally,hewasonlyplanningtoinvitetheOni,butinthissituationit’sverylikelytherearemanyothertalentedindividuals.Thereareatotalof100Goblinwolfriders,andeveryoneofthemhavetalentsIwantbyallmeans.AmongstthemarecaptainRigurandvicecaptainGobuta.Thesetwohaveanoverwhelmingpresenceovertheothers.Therearealsoothers,liketheDragonewtsIseetimetotime.Theywillalsobecomegoodwarriorswithsometraining.TheOrcPioneers,theyaren’tmuchontheirown,buttrulyshinewhentogetherinagroup.

IheardtheywereledbyanorclordcalledGerudo,butIhaven’tseenhimaroundthecity.Iheardhe’salwaysouttransportinggoods,buthe’smostlikelyapowerfulindividual.(Whatdoyouknow,I’llbedarned!Thiscityiscrazy!IfImakeamove,allthiswarpotentialwillbeours!)Infact,whenIlookacloserlookattheOni,they’reeithermyequalorevenaboveme.EventhoughheistheweakestamongsttheservantsoftheBeastKing,thisisstillclearlysomethingabnormal.Well,it’sfineisn’tit?It’smorefunthisway!Havingstrongcomradesissomethinggood.Evenifwefailed,havingpowerfulenemiesisalsodesirable!Thatmuchistrue.We,theBeastmen,arearacethatthrivesinbattle.Strongenemiesaresomethingthatwewelcomed.Thus,whileponderingabouthowheshouldinvitethem,hecontinuedwithhisFrontierGarrisonduties.

＊　＊　＊

YAHHOO——-Nice!Iamverysatisfiedwiththefeelingofspaciousnessaftersuchalongtime.WhenIwasinthecity,IhadtopayattentiontowhatIsay,mymindfeelslikeit’sabouttoburst.Thus,IleftalltheproblemsinthecitytothetwoOni.But,Benimarusaidthishimself:

「PleaseleaveeverythingregardingthecitywithustwoOni,we’llbeabletoaccomplishanything!」

That’swhathesaid.I’msurehe’llmanagesomehow.Rangahasbeenonguardthewholetime,butnosignsofmovementswerespotted.Nowit’sSouei’sturntotakeoverguardduty._Hewhodoesn’tsleep,Souei.Bycreatingclones,hecangetsomesleepinshifts.Eventhoughit’scertainlyausefulability,Idon’twanttotellhimthathemustsleep.Fromthelooksofthings,noone’sshowingtheirtruecolors.Tome,eventhoughtheydon’tseemtoberelatedtoMilim,theymaybe

acquaintances.Becausethiscannotbehandledcarelessly,wemustmonitorthemcarefully.Unfortunately,theydon’tseemtohavemadeamoveatall.Ifthat’sthecase,thenallwecandoistocontinuetobevigilant.SinceIcanimmediatelyreturntothecitywith『ShadowStep』,Idecidedtoleavethecityforalittlewhile.Orrather,IspeculatethatassoonasI’mgone,they’regoingtostartmakingtheirmove.Milimhasalsojustleft,sotheymustmaketheirmovenow.Iwasonalertwhilstthinkingaboutthis,butafterfirstdayIwentoutoftownnothinghappenedwhatsoever.After3dayshadpassed,I’mstartingtothinkthatImaybeoverlyworkedupaboutthings.Theyalsoseemtobefairlystrong.“Leaveittome!”AndbecausehesaidthatIentrustedhimtoleadtheway.Afterhearingthat,Iamnowenjoyingthespaciousfeelingaftersuchalongtime.

I’mtakingthisroutebecauseroadshaven’tbeendevelopedyet.Aftergettingoffthestreets,Ifollowedtheanimaltrail.Isthisreallyallright?Ifthat’snotenough,weadvancedthroughavarietyofdifferentroutes.However,there’saveteranhere,soIleftittohim.Eventhoughhehasatearfulface,letsbelieveinhim.Besides,it’snotlikethisisthefirsttimehehascomebyhere.Onemomentlater,

「Oioi,we’renotactuallylostarewe?」

Isaidthatasajoke.

「Hahaha.There’snowaywewouldhavegottenlosthere…」

Hiswordinghasbecamestrange,everythingisfineright?Referringtothemapinmymind,itseemswewalkedbyherejustnow.Imustbeimaginingthings.

「Oi!Thisisnojoke.You’relost,aren’tyou!」

The3lookedateachother,

「「「WE’REVERYSORRY!!!」」」

Andtheyapologized.Anyway,itseemsthattheyhavegottenlosttryingtotakeashortcut.Aretheseguysreallyprofessionals?Wellwhatever.Iguidedthembackontotheroad,theonetheyarefamiliarwith.WepassedbyafieldofIllusionFlowersinfullbloom,thatmightbethecauseofusgettinglost.Ididn’ttellthemthough.

「Howcouldwehavegottenlostinsuchaplace……」「Imayhavelostalittleself-confidence……」「I’moverwhelmed,Ifyouprofessionalspaidmorerespecttotheroadandfolloweditthenmaybewewouldnothavebeenlost.」

Theylookedalittlepitiful,soItoldthemabouttheIllusionflowers.

「That’saBrankharvestingmissionobjective!,It’sprettydifficultyaknow!」

Ellenproclaimedenthusiastically.Inadditiontobeingmaterialformagicitems,it’salsoquitearareflower.Afteralotoftrouble,wereturnedtopicksome.Wemanagedtopick40,anddivideditupto10perperson.Perhaps,Icanunderstanditsusesbystoringitinmystomachtoanalyze.Aboutaweek’sworthoftimehaspassed,andwefinallyarrivedattheexitoftheforest.Certainly,butIwonderhowmuchlesstimewouldbewastedifItookoutthenumberofdayswespentbeinglost.Well,there’snoneedformetorushforthisjourney.Rather,longtripsaremuchmorefun.Well,aslime’sbodycan’tgettiredanyway,butI’llneedtoremainclean,soIaskedEllentouse〈CleaningMagic〉.BecauseEllenused〈CleaningMagic〉,Ilearnedit.

WhenItriedusingit,mymagicamplifiedtheeffectsofthespell,cleaningeveryoneintheprocess.Thankstothat,thejourneywasmorepleasantthanusual.Startingafirewaseasy,andIstayedupallnightasthenight-watch.

「RIMURUSAN!LET’SADVENTURETOGETHERFOREVER!!!」

Ellenexclaimedthisemotionally,butasusual,Ideclined.IfthiswasbeforeImetanyone,thatwouldhavebeenagoodidea,butI’mtheheadofacitynow.Icanleavethegoverningtotheothers,butIcan’tleaveituncaredfor.Anyways,ifsomedaymypresenceisn’tneededanymore,I’llthinkabouttheofferthen.Athoughtsuddenlycrossedmymind-EvenifIaccepted,thiswilldependonwhetherornotshe’sstillalivebythattime.IwonderisthishowMilimfeels?Tomakeanimportantfriend,onlytooutlivethem,wouldIchooselonelinessinstead?Idon’tknow.Thecurrentmedoesn’thaveenoughexperiencetodeterminethat.

.

Ishookmysadnessaway,andwewenttowardstheroads.OurdestinationisthesmallcountryofBrumund.Thisparticularcountryissosmallthatallthenoblesarefeudallordsofvillages.It’sreallyjustacountrywhichcomprisesofitsroyalcapital.IwasbeingledbythetriotothecitywhichhousedBrumund’sFreedomAssociationBranch.However,thecapitalistheonlylargecityandinthecastletownliestheBrumund’sFreedomAssociationBranch.Wehavearrivedinthefirstvillageearlierthanexpected,andthecarriageleftasscheduled.Wearrivedatnoon,andatelunchatarestaurant.Seemslikethetrafficisnotcongestedasitisasmallcountry,whichisalwaysnice.

「Hearme,IamtheMightyAxe,WAARGH~andwithasingleswing,Ikilledthisfellow!」

「Wow~AsexpectedofBiddosan!」「BigBrotherBiddo,thisisastrongmonsterisn’tit?Youmeanyoukilleditbyyourself?」「Moreorless,asinglehornedbearisnomatchforme!」

Whenweheardtheconversation,wetookapeekatthehornedbeartheyweretalkingabout.Themainsubjectofthestory,thehornedbear,mademealmostspitoutallthefoodinmymouthwhenIsawit.Itwasonlythehornofahornedrabbitembeddedintotheforeheadofthebear,laidonthefloorasifitwasamonster ’scorpse.Thebearisnotamonsterbutrather,isclassifiedasananimal,butit’shardtotellthedifference.FortunatelyIhavemyanalyzeability,withoutit,Iwouldn’thavebeenabletotellthedifference.Aclearwaytotellthedifferenceiswhethera“magicstone”dropsornot.Evenso,foranordinarypersonthat’ssimplyjustcruelbecauseit’ssorare.Evenifitdidn’tdropa“magicstone”duetoitbeingananimal,whoknowshowmanyofthemanimalswouldhavebeenkilledbeforepeoplerealizethattheyareanimals,notmonsters.Well,eventhoughdemonicenergyseepsfrommonsters,it’llstillberatherdifficulttojudge.Intheend,duetothehighlevelofmyskill,Iamablecameupwiththisconclusion.

「Oi,theguysinthatcornerareallproudaboutthatfakehornedbear,aren’ttheyjustlikeants?」「Huh?Afake?Yousawthroughthetrick?!」「Ofcourse!It’sthehornofahornedrabbit,weldedonwithmagic……」「Asexpected,yousawthroughit?」「No,Danna.Thatperson’spurposeisnottoflaunt.Iftheytookthisovertotheking,theymaybecomethisvillage’shero!They’redoingthisnottoprotectthevillage,butrathertofilltheirbelliesandliveinfancyinns.」

Isee.Iunderstandtheguildmembers’explanation.Inshort,they’rescammers.TheworldhassomanydifferentkindsofscammersthatIthasbecomea

profession.Iwasplanningtoleaveafterexposingthem,

「Oioi,waitamoment!Youjustaccusedmeofbeingafake!Makingafooloutofme,Ihopeyou’repreparedfortheconsequences?」

Iwonder,whydoallthedumboneshavesuchgoodhearing.Furthermore,theyevendecidedtopickafightwhenIstillidling…Youpeopleevenbelievedinsuchafraud…

「Huh,isn’tthatCabal-san……」「Ellen-san’salsohere!」「Isn’tthatpersonoverthereGido!」

Afterhearingthesewords,peoplefloodedthediningroomimmediately

「Wha,what’sthis……youthreeareterrible,youshouldhavegivenmeashoutoutifyoucameback!」「Whoareyou,havewemetbefore?」「Ohcomeon,Imaylookallrundownandtatterednow,butit’smebiddo!Iwasreceivingguidancefromyouinthecapitalafterpickingafight,it’smebiddo!」

Wellthatwasunexpected.Thisgroupof3(idiots),areunexpectedlyfamous.Theyseemacquaintedwiththefraudtoacertaindegree,buttheotherpeopleseemtorespectthethree.It’sratherstrangethattheydon’tseemallthathappyeventhoughthey’rebeingrespected.But,thebiggestsurprisetomewasthefactthese3areactuallyfamousadventurers.Theyaremainlyfamousfortheirsuddenriseinprominencerecently.……Evenso,it’sbecausetheyhavebroughtalongmonstersfrommytownwiththemduringmissions,that’swhytheywereabletoperformsosignificantlywell…Ilookedatthe3,andtheylookedawayinapanic.I’llnotpressthemonthismatter.That’sprobablysomethingtheydon’twanttomentiontothepeoplehere.

Evenso,evenifIdon’ttouchthematter,it’sstillthere.

「Doyougetitnow?」

「「「OFCOURSE!!!WE’LLGUIDEYOUTOTHECAPITAL!EVERYSTEPOFTHEWAY!!!」」」

Thenit’sallgood.Thetripendedsmoothlyevenaftersuchathinghappened.

Thus,wearrivedattheroyalcapitalofthesmallcountryofBurmund.

Chapter53-FreedomAssociation

WeproceededintoBrumund’sRoyalCapital.Thecityappearsoldbutsturdy.Thepedestriansappearedbrightandcheerfulwithnogloominessinsight.Probablyduetothefactthatthereisnovisibledamagefrompowerfulmonstersorotherthreats.Andasyou’dexpectfromsucharemotecountry,thereweremanypeoplegearedup.Basedonmyappraisalability,mostarmorsandweaponsusedareofinferiorquality.Similarly,theyalsoseemedratherweak.However,smellingtheairofadowntownareaaftersolongwasprettyexciting.Buyingsomeroastedmeatonastick,wecontinuedonward.Ihavenoideawhatmeatthisis,butit’sstrangelydelicious.Actually,Icananalyzethemeattofindoutwhereitcamefrom,butIwon’tdothat.Ihavesomethingelsethatneedstobeanalyzed.Thesauce.Thissaucecouldcomeinhandyforresearch.Thoughitisunfairtothechef,eatingsomethingletsmelearnitsrecipe.SoImadeamentalnoteoftherequiredingredientsforthismeal.

Iamadvancingfurtherin,guidedbythetrio,withaspecificstoreinmind.MagicToolStore.Normaltoolstoresandmagictoolstoresareverydifferentthanwhatpeoplefrommyworldwouldimagine.Whenadventurers,forexample,referto“toolstores”theytypicallymeanmagicones.Anditisoneofthesemagictoolstores–I’llsimplycallittoolstorefromnowon–thatwasourdestination.Tolearncurrentmarketprices.Iamplanningtosellmediumgrademedicinetoday.However,evenifIwanttosellitat15silversapiece,Ineedtofirstknowthepriceoflowgrademedicine.IalsowanttoknowifthereisanyproductmadefromIllusionFlowers,orsomethingrelatedtothem.

Ifweturnthemintotheguild,wecanmaketensilversperbouquet.Thoughyou’dthinkyoucouldmakealotofmoneythisway,butgoingintotheforesttosearchforthiselusivefloweroftenprovespointless,somostpeopleabstain.Soifyou’replanningonbecomingapermanentharvestingadventurer,youshouldn’texpecttobecomerichquick.Thus,usuallypeoplefindthemwhileadventuringsomewhereandcometosellthem;thebuyerthencollectsthemandturnsthemovertowhoeverrequests.Whichwouldmeanthatharvestingrequeststendtostickaroundforyears.It’salengthyprocess.AndsinceIhavelotsofsuchmedicalplantsandflowers,I’dwanttoknowtheircurrentprices.So,weenteredthestore.Apeculiarsmellfilledtheroomandthestoreitselfgaveoffaqueeraura.Astoreyou’dexpecttoberunbysomeelderlywitch.Actually,theownerlooksjustlikethat.Ilookedaround,quicklyevaluatingthegoods.Sadly,Ididn’tseeanyrareitems.Lowgradepotionsareinstock,andatahigherprice.Why?Simple:theneighboringFarmasKingdomhasstoppedallowinggoodstocomefromtheDwarfKingdom.ThoughIguessIoverexaggerated;theyaremerelypreventinganygoodsthatcouldbeusedbythemilitarytoreachhere.AndsincehighqualitypotionsnolongerarrivefromtheDwarfKingdom,theyhavenochoicebuttoselltheinferiorstuffmadebythelocalpharmacists.Besides,sincetheyaremakingthingsbyboilingmedicalherbsfoundinforestsandcaves,themedicinetheyproduceisnaturallyinferior.Hmm?DoIsmellanopportunity…?Atthemoment,lowgradepotion[Quality:Normal,Effect:20%]issoldfor2silvercoin.Incomparison,abysmalpotion[Quality:Low,Effect15%]issoldfor1silvercoin.Soevenasmallchangeineffectcanleadtosuchadrasticchangeinprice.Iguessconsideringthatitcouldsaveyourlife,peoplearerarelystingywithmedicine.

Andwithsuchshortageofmaterial,adventurerswhocomeacrossmedicalherbswillquicklyfindabuyereveniftheirguilddoesn’tacceptit.It’salwaysindemand,itseems.

Next,IllusionFlowers.FromthisfloweryoucanmakeHallucinogensandBewitchingPerfume.Theeffectsoftheseitemsare,

Hallucinogens:Usedtoamplify〈Hypnotism-typeMagic〉.Takingitnormallywillinducehallucinations.Leadstoaddiction.BewitchingPerfume:Amplifiestheeffectsof〈Hypnotism-typeMagic〉byupto30%.Increasesresistanceto〈Hypnotism-typeMagic〉byupto30%.

Thatwouldbeforqualityitem,ofcourse;normalonewouldincreasetheeffectsbyonly20%.Whatisamplified?Thesuccessrateoftheskill,theextentofcontrol,andtheduration.Itisanitemcovetedbymostpractitionersofthistypeofmagic.However,addictionisbad.It’sprobablysimilartoourworld’shallucinogens.ThoughIdoubttheysellittojustanybody.Bytheway,whileIwasanalyzingthepoison,Ihappenedtohaveacquiredsomeresistancetoit.Atthisrate,Imightgetanewskillsoon.IfIharvestandanalyzesomemorepoisonousplants,ofcourse.Eatingtheplantwouldbeabadidea,butIwouldn’tgetpoisonedifIabsorbeditintomystomach.So,Ican’tdiefrompoison.AndsinceIwouldn’tgetfoodpoisoningeither,Itastetestedmostdishesduringthetrip.ButIdigress.Theeffectsoftheseitemsiseasytodispel,butsurelytheycostalot?

「Haah?HallucinogensandBewitchingPerfume?Youcan’tgetsuchamazingitemshere.Ratherthaninasmallcountrylikeours,youshouldbelookingelsewhere!」

Thestore’sgrannytoldme.DidshethinkthatIwasridiculingher?Chancesarethefactthatshehasevenheardofsuchmedicinesis

impressive.Infact,themedicinesoldhereismadebyher.She’sprettylearned,itseems.

「Ah,mybad.Thethingis,Ihappentohavegottenmyhandsonsomeofthose,butaren’tsureifit’sactuallytherealdeal.Ievenborrowedagoldcointobuyit,soI’mcurious!」

Isaid,tryingtodeceiveher.

「Whatdidyousay?Showme.I’llcheckifforyou.Iwon’tchargeyou,soresteasy!」

Thegrannyreplied.Sincesheasked,IhadnochoicebuttotakeoutasmallbagwithahallucinogenImadeprior.Ihavequiteafewmorebagslikethis.Thehallucinogenisfinelikesugar,butredincolor.Thegrannytookitfrommyhandsandused〈IdentificationMagic〉onit.

「Ohmy!It’sreal!Aren’tyoulucky.Withthismuch,youcaneasilymake2goldscoins.Butproductionandsalesofthisitemisforbiddentoamateurs.Itcanonlybesoldbymagicianswithaspeciallicense,sobeware!Ifyouwanttopawnit,however,I’dbehappytobuyitfromyoufortwogoldcoins!」

Shesaid,surprised.Turningabouquetintotheguildwouldearnyou10silvers.Whereasprocessingitwouldyieldyou2goldcoins.That’s20timeshigher.Moreover,youcanalsomakesomeBewitchingPerfumefromit.Allyouneedistodilutetheextractwithwater.Sothisisanotherproductthatwillsellwell;I’mgladwepickedit.Imean,Iknewmagicitemswereexpensive,butforthemtobesoexpensive!Well,it’smyprofit,soIdon’tcomplain.Butnowthatshehadevaluateditforme,Ican’tjustleavewithoutbuyinganything.Doesn’tshehaveanygooditems…?

Seeingacompletelackofrareitems,IstartedsearchingforanythingImightneed.AndthenIfoundit,『Dummy’sGuide!Easytounderstand〈ElementalMagic〉theories!』–amagicbooktitledthus.Seemslikeitsapartofapopularpublication,buttothinkthatitisevensoldouthere?Well,Icanreadsome,andevensimplyreadinglettersispractice.Solet’sbuythebook.

「Aha.So,littlegirl,you’reaspiringtobeamagician?That’sabeginner ’sbook.Kidswhowanttoenrollinanacademystudyfromthisbook.Butyouknow,youcan’tbecomeamagicianjustfromreadingthisbook,areyousureyouwanttobuyit?」

Amagicacademy!Howwonderful.Iwanttogocheckitoutsomeday.Someday,I’lluse『GreatSage』togetallthemagicintheworld…

「Yeah,noproblem.Howmuchisit?」「Child,yourfaceisprettybutyou’vegotthetongueofamiddle-agedman…Ah,well.Unfortunately,itisn’tcheap.Magicisarich-man’shobby.Themasses,withoutconnectionsorsomething,canneverlearnmagic.Justthisbookcostsasinglegoldcoin;toomuch,right?」

Iwonder…sinceI’mwearingthemask,isthegrannyguessingbymyvoice?Idon’treallycare,eitherway.MaybeIshouldchangemyvoicetoseemolder…?Well,it’stoolatenow.Andsinceit’sapain,I’llleaveitasisfornow.SinceI’maround150cmtallrightnow,shouldIclaimtobeayoungboy?It’sbeenayearsinceIwasborn,butmysoulisatleast38yearsold;inotherwords,it’shardtofigureoutmyage.Inanycase,I’machildatheart.SoifIlookyoung,thatisn’taproblem.Anenigmaticboywearingamask.Don’tfret,there’splentyofdelusionalidiotscallingthemselvesheroesanddemonlords,soI’dfitrightin.Solet’sintroducemyselfthusfromnowon.

Magicisfortherich,huh.There’sprobablyplentyamongthemthatareincapableoflearningmagic,too.Asinglegoldcoinisaboutahundredthousandyen.Thoughtheydoseemtohaveaprintingpress,Iwonderwhythere’ssofewprintedbooks?

「Noproblem.I’llbuythebookfor1gold.However,Iwonderwhyit’ssoexpensive?」「Ah,that’ssimple.Magicbooks,yousee,canonlybewrittendownbyhand.ThoughtheGhostResearchershavethecopyingmachine,itrejectsmagicmanuscripts.So,anymagicbookonthemarkethasbeenwrittenbyhand.Bytheway,thisbookIwrotemyselfwhenIwasyounger,sopleasetakecareofit!」「Isee.Ididn’tknow,sothankyou.I’lltreatitwithcare.」

Isaid,handingoverasinglegoldcoin.Transactioncomplete.

「Doesn’tlookit,butshe’srich,huh…butstillachild,right?Whatareparentsdoinghandingtheirkidsthismuchmoney…」

Shegrumbledtoherself,whilehandingoverthebook.Magicbooksarehandwritten,soIshouldexpectthemtobeexpensive.Fromnowon,whetherIstopbythemagicacademyoranotherroyalcapital,Iwillbuyeverymagicbookinsight!SoIdecided.Thetriohavealsopurchasedwhatevertheycamefor.Well,soIsay,buttheyonlycametorestockonpotionsandotherherbs,sothey’vebeenwaitingforme.Afterthankingtheowner,Ileftthestore.Itwasatimewellspent.

Afterleavingthestore,Istopthetrio.

「Youguys…youunderstand,right?」「「「……….」」」

Thetrioeachhandedme10IllusionFlowerbouquets.AndtoeachIhandedagoldcoin.ThusIhave16goldcoinsleft;solots

moretospend.I’dmuchratherprocesstheIllusionFlowersmyself.Itwouldbewastefultohandthemovertotheguild.Duringmyconversationwiththetrio,theylookedasiftheywantedtoasksomething.

「Waitaminute!Rimuru-san,whenhadyouprocessedtheIllusionFlowers?Actually,it’sconsideredreallydifficulttodo!Therehavebeenpeoplewhodiedfromthepoisonousgassesthattheplantsletout!」

Isee.Soitreallywassuchadangerousplant.Iguessthepriceisfitting.

「Fufufu.ProcessingsuchaweedissimpleforsomeonelikeI!」「Nofair!Ican’tevendoit…」「Asexpectedofdanna.Iwouldn’tbesurprisedatanythingnow.」「Metoo.Dannaissomeonewhocandoanything.」

Threejealousidiots.ButotherthenEllen,theothertwohavealreadyacceptedthefacts.And,consideringthatwehaveresearchedthecostasdesired,weheadedfortheFreedomAssociation.

WereachedBrumund’sFreedomAssociationBranch.Theguildwasattheendofroadleadingoutofthecommercialdistrictwherethemagicstorewas.It’sastatelybuildingmadeofstone.TheDwarfKingdomoftendugdownintothestone,somostbuildingswereatmost3floorstall.TheLizardmenwouldmakeuseofwindowsdesignatedwithmagictolighttheirhouses,butthisisdifferent.Itdependsonnaturallight.SoIwasundertheimpressionthatpeopledidn’tbuildhigh-risehousesinthisworld.Well,whetheryoucanconsider5stories“high-rise”isadifferentstory.

Whenweentered,Inoticedthattheyaresomehowregulatingthetemperature;itwaspleasantinside.

WhileIactuallycan’tfeelthechangeintemperatureduetomyresistances,Icouldtellthedifferenceusingheatdetectionability.Iguesstheyarekeepingthetemperatureconstantwithmagic.Surprisinglyadvanced,Imustsay.Ihadthoughtthattheworldtravelerskepttheworldrelativelyprimitive,butIguessthey’vebeentryingtodevelopitinadirectiondifferentthanours.Maybeiftherewerenomonstersordemonlords,thisworldwouldbeatruemagicsociety.However,itcanalsobesaidthatallthecurrentknowledgehasbeenresearchedtocountermonsters.Sincethedemonlordsexercisedrestraint,thehumansboughtthemoffbyhandingoverfertileland;sowhenpowershiftsinfavorofhumans,aninvasionintotheirrealmsisalegitimatepossibility.ThatthoughthasbeenpreachedbytheWesternSaintsChurch,Iheard.True,monstersarestrongerrightnow;butnooneknowswhatthefuturewillhold.IguessIneedtoimplementsomerealforeignpolicytoprotecttherightsofmycity.I’mgladIcamehere.Byseeingahumancity,bylearningsomethingabouthumans,Icanbetterprepareagainstpossiblefuturethreats.Thus,Idecidedtoseemoreandmorethings.

Nowthen,Ishouldn’tstandinthedoorway.Iwasguidedfurtherinbythetrio.Theinsideremindedmeofamunicipalbuilding’sreceptionroom.There’sadesklikeoneyou’dseeatanairport–whereyousurrenderyourbaggage,withaplatethatreads:SalesCounter.Allinall,therearethreecountersseparatedfromeachother.

TheSalesCounterIjustmentioned.Counterforvisitorsandothergeneralusers.Counterspecificforadventurers.

Theroomisseparatedintothesethreesectors.Thesalescounterisexactlywhatitsoundslike;itemsthatyoufoundorwenttoobtainonrequestarebroughtoverhere.

ThegeneralcounterisusedbybeginnersandFreedomAssociationmemberswholiveinthecity.That’swhereyougotoregisterorretirefromtheguild.Theadventurer ’scountercanonlybeusedbyauthorizedadventurers.AnadventurerisaFreedomAssociationmemberwhoeithergoesforaging,subjugating,orhuntingonrequest.Sometakeondifferenttypesoftasks,butmostpeoplestillrefertothembythegenericterm–adventurer.Furthermore,anadventurerissomeonewhohastohavesomebasiccombatability.Forexample,there’saspecializeddivisioncalledtheMagiciansGuild.Tobeaffiliatedwiththem,youneedtobeabletousesomekindofmagic;however,affiliationwiththemdoesnotguaranteeusefulnesstotheFreedomAssociation.It’snogoodifallyoucandoisusesomemagic.Onlyafteryouhavelivedbyforaging,subjugating,orhuntingareyourecognizedasanadventurer.So,whatarethemeritstobecominganadventurer?WhileeveryFreedomAssociationBranchisaffiliatedwithaspecificcountry,itsmembersareabletochangecountrieseasily.Leavingthecityorevencrossingtheborderisfareasierforanadventurer.Ofcourse,thismaynotapplyduringwartime,butthisallowsforgreatermobility.Inotherwords,comparedtopeoplewithclearallegiances,GuildMembersareabletofreelyselectacountrywheretheywanttolive.Well,notlikethere’sabigdifferenceotherthanthetaxyou’dhavetopay.Theoriginofthename“FreedomAssociation”comesfromadventurerswhowantedtobeabletofreelymovebetweencountries.Well,evenso,there’snotthatmanypeoplewhoconstantlyswitchcountries.Thiswasexplainedtomebythethreeidiotsonourwaytothecounters.Afterreceivingthisexplanation,weproceededtotheback.

「Hey,we’releadingourguesttothebackrooms,soletuspass.」「Ah,Cabal-san.Youhavereturned.Whomightthisbe?」「Yeah,GuildMaster ’sguest.Treathimwithrespect,please.」

Afterthatexchange,wewereletthrough.

Andinthebackground,

「Cabal-sanissocool~!」「Ellen-sanissogorgeous…Alwayssobeautiful!」「Fools!TonotunderstandGido-san’sgreatness…」「「「But,whoisthatkid?Whytreatherwithrespect?」」」

Iheardthepeopleinthebackgroundsaythis,butcouldn’treallyunderstandthem.Whyarethethreeidiotsidolizedhere?Eveninthefirstvillagewestoppedbytheywerefamous.Westoppedinfrontofaroomintheback.Theroomwasguardedbytwosoldiers,whoopenedthedooronCabal’ssignal.Inthemiddleoftheroomisamagiccircle.SimilartotheonethatBesterdrew.Onethatallowstravelbothways.Iwasguidedtothemagiccircle,andusedittoteleport.Itcanbeusedtotraveluptothefourthfloor;thefifthfloorisaccessibleviaadifferentcircle.Topreventinfiltrationfromspiesandsuch.Howprudent.NowthatIthinkaboutit,therearenowindowspassedthefourthfloor.Probablytopreventbreak-in.Themagiccircletothefifthfloorliesdirectlybeyondtheguildmaster ’sroom.Weenteredtheroom.

「Welcome,“Onewhocommandsmonsters”!IamthisBranch’sGuildMasterFuze.」

Ashortmanwithavigilantfaceextendedhisgreetings.Isee,hedefinitelyfitsthedescriptionofaGuildMaster.He’splentystrongandseemsrathercapable.Butifanything,it’stheauraabouthim.Heseemstobearathergutsyindividual.

「IamRimuruTempest.RulerofthenewMonsterCountry“Tempest”oftheJuraForest.Pleasedtomakeyouracquaintance.」

Afterfinishingourintroductions,westartedourquestioning.

Sinceourmeetinglastedlongintothenight,IdecidedtostayinoneoftheFreedomAssociation’srooms.

P.S.Sadly,althoughIhadplentyofmoneyleftandfinallyarrivedatahumancity,Icouldn’tventureintoanew“frontier”fornow.

Chapter54-Business~TheStartofaTrade

Themeetingcontinueduntillatelastnight.Itcan’tbehelpedsinceIarrivedlate.Well,weweresupposetomeettoday,butapparentlythenoblewantedtomeetmenomatterwhat.Weexchangedinformationbrieflyduringyesterday’smeeting.Mainly,Iheardaboutthetownsandcountriesofhumans.IalsolearnedabouttheFreeAssociation,theyevensaidtheywouldintroducemetotheirleaderYukiKagurazakaattheirheadquarters.However,somethingfeltamiss.Iheardthefreedomassociation’sheadquartersislocatedintheroyalcapital,butthere’realotofroyalcapitals.There’sthelargeneighboringFarmasKingdom,andtheterrifyinglystrongneighboringkingdomoftheSorceryDynastyofSarion.EvenasmallkingdomsuchasBrumundhasaroyalcapital.Infact,we’reinitrightnow.SoinwhichcountryistheFreedomAssociationHeadquarterslocatedin?TheclustersofcountriesaroundtheGreatJuraforestjoinedtogetherandformedthecouncil.Therefore,thegatheringofcouncilorsmustbeinaneasilyaccessiblelocation,anditsheadquartersisnowsetintheIngraciaKingdom.Intermsofstrength,theoneboastingthestrongestpoweramongstthosethatjoinedthecouncilistheFarmasKingdom.ButduetothedevelopedtransportationsystemintheingraciaKingdom,itbecametheheartofallthekingdomsinstead.That’sthemostlikelyreasonwhytheFarmasKingdomandtheIngraciaKingdomareonbadterms.However,there’salsoanotherreasonwhytheIngraciaKingdomwasselected.TheIngraciaKingdomistheonlykingdomnotdirectlynexttotheGreatJuraforest.Therefore,it’slesssusceptibletomonsterattacks,grantingittheblessingofbeingsafe.TheFreedomAssociation’sheadquarterswillbelocatedinthecountrywhichisblessedwithsafetyandhasadvancedtransportationnetworks.

Thatmuchisobvious.Thatmeans,whentheysaidtheroyalCapitaltheywerereferringtotheroyalCapitaloftheIngraciaKingdom.Anotherfeatureofthecountrieswithinthecouncilisthatfactthey’reallcountriesthatfollowtheChurch.Inotherwords,thekingdomssurroundingtheGreatJuraForestarewithintheSphereofinfluenceofthechurch.Commerceandreligionarethetwomainpillarsthatsupportthebondsbetweenkingdoms.Eachcountryvotesforacouncilor,andallofthecouncilorsembodyequalityduetotheirreligion.Iheardthere’sasystemwhereimportantdecisionsarediscussedanddecidedinthecouncil.Surprisingly,thissystemisquitesimilartotheUnitedNationsfrommypreviouslife.Councilorelectionmethodsdifferfromcountrytocountry,butthemajorityofthecouncilorselectedarefromtheroyalfamily.Bytheway,theSorceryDynastyofSariondoesn’thaveanationalreligion.Thekingclaimstobeadescendantofgod,andforbidsallotherreligions.Thus,theywererejectedfrombeingapartofthecouncil,makingthemaisolatedsuperpower.ButIheardthattheydohavecommercialrelationswiththeotherkingdom,mostlikelybecauseitisasuperpower.

Anyway.IheardthattheFreedomAssociation’sheadquartersislocatedinthecenteroftheIngraciaKingdom.SoifIwanttomeetYuukiKagurazakaI’llhavetovisittheIngraciaKingdom.Apparently,theywerewillingtowritealetter,introducingmetohim.Butinexchange,IwastoldtomeetBaronBeruyado,anobleofthisnation.OfcourseIagreedtotheterms,andamcurrentlyridingtowardsmydestinationonahorsecarriagewithmycurrentpartner.Ipartedwiththethree(idiots)lastnight.

「Please,let’skeepintouch!」「AsIthought,let’sadventuretogetherforever……」

「Itsurewillgetlonelywithoutyou.LetsplaytogetheragaininTempest!」

Sayingthesewords,theydepartedunwillingly.But,that’stheirownproblem.I,forone,don’tfeelanythingatthemoment.Strangely,Idon’tfeellonelyatall.WhileIwasthinkingofsuchthings,thecarriagecametoahalt.Itappearswehavearrived.

.

Itisadistrictlinedwithbeautifulstructures.Feelingcomposed,Fuseguidedmetowardsabuilding,slightlysmallercomparedtotheothers.

「Bytheway,isitfinethatIdon’tknowanythingaboutthehonorificetiquetteandmannersofnobility?」「Hm?Ah….That’sright,that’sgoingtobetroublesome……」

Iseverythinggoingtobealright?AboutFuse’soldman,Iheardhe’sgoingtobequitethehandful.Yesterday,FuseaskedaboutthecurrentsituationoftheGreatJuraForest.Afterthat,heaskedaboutShizu’sandwhetherdoIknowaboutVeldora.WhenitcametoVeldora,Iplayedthefoolandfeignedignorance.AsforthesituationintheGreatJuraForest,Isaidourtownwasdoingwellinitsownwaywhilebeingasvagueaspossible.Naturally,Iwasaskedtoexplainmysubjugationofthelocalmonsters,indetail.Iunderstoodthateventheywantedtoknowthereasonastowhytherewassolittledamagecausedbythemonsters.AsforShizuSan’sstory,itwaskindofhardtotalkaboutit,muchlessexplainit.Intheend,IstoppedexplainingwhenitreachedacertainpromisewithShizusan.Fuze,

「Isee……I’mcountingonyou」

Aftermutteringthat,nothingmorewasspoken.ShizuSan,renownedasthe“ExplosiveMonarch,seemedtohavebeenanArankadventurethatbelongedtotheheadquarters.Attheheadquarters,sheworkedhardasaninstructor,butsheprobablyrealizedthatherdeathdrewnear.Refusingtobeconfinedintheheadquarters,shesuddenlydisappeared.Andthat’showthestorygoes,but,thankstoher,Iwasabletomakemanynewfriends.

ItrustedFuzeandcameallthisway,butisitreallyalright?Withalltheseetiquetteandformality,thisisgoingtobeonetroublesometalk.Whileworryingaboutsuchthings,Ithenenteredthebuilding.Afterenteringthebuilding,anoldmanwhointroducedhimselfasthebutlerguidedus.Anyway,therearealsomaidshere,whichisalwaysnice.Iremembergoingtomaidcafesinmypreviouslife.JustsittingdowncostthousandsofYen,it’sacompleterip-off.Thisfactormakesqualifyingthisasagoodmemoryaproblem.However,thisisadifferentworld.Aguylikemecanseethedifferenceinqualitywhencomparedtothegenuinething.Thereareonlyfakeoldmaidsinreallife!Guidedbythebutler,weenteredaroom.There’reevenmoredoorsintheroom.TheButlerknockedononeofthedoors.Therewasareply,

「Enter!」

Honestly,thesekindsofexchangesarejustannoying.Goingstraightthroughamagiccircle,theinterioriscompletelydifferent.Onceinside,atallslimmanwholookedlikehewasveryhardworkingwithaparsimoniousbeardandsiltedeyes,greetedme.

「Youhavearrived.MynameisBaronBeloard,IamoneofBrumund’sministers,pleasedtobeyouracquaintance.」

TheotherpartyhasgreetedmebeforeImanagedtogivemygreetings.

「Nicetomeetyou.MynameisRimuruTempest.

Iamamonster,butIwishtoformamicablerelationswithhumans.

Imaybeignorantwhenitcomestomannersandetiquette,butIhopeyoucanoverlookthat.」Ireturnedthegreetingandshookhandswithhim.

Thisplace’spracticesarequitesimilartomypreviouslife.

「Dobeatease.Iambutalandlessbaron.It’sfineevenwithouttheformality.Nowthen,thetimewehaveisn’tinfinite.Let’stalkbriefly.I’llgetstraighttothepoint.Aboutyourtown,Tempest,Iwouldliketoformacooperativerelationwiththere.Weproposetocooperatetosupportadventurersontheiradventureandassistthemwhenthey’rehavingproblemsfacingpowerfulmonsters.Ionlyaskthese2pointsofyou.」

Wellwell.Tosummarizewhathesaid,sinceBrumundisasmallcountrywithoutmuchnationalpower,theircounter-measuresagainstmonstersareinsufficient.TheysomehowcooperatedwiththeFreedomAssociation,butthefreedomassociationcan’tbetheironlymeansofdefenseagainstmonsters.Fortunately,therearen’tanymajordamagecausedbymonsterstodate,butinpreparationforthefuture,theywishedtoformbilateralrelationswithTempest.Assistanceforadventurers,that’satopicthatFusetoucheduponyesterday.He’sprobablythinkingthatinorderfortheadventurerstosucceed,andtoreducethethreattheforestposes,I’llneedtoprovidenecessitiessuchasbedsandsuppliesforthoseworkingintheforest.However,hispartnerisacountryofmonsters,Iwonderwhydidheapproachandtrustedussoeasily?That’ssomethingtoworryabout.

「Indeed…WhatbenefitswillIgainifIacceptthis?Ratherthanacollaborativerelationship,don’tyouthinkthisisonlyone-sided?”

Ofcourse,we’llalsotrytoguaranteecertainbenefitstothere.We’lllegitimizeyouridentityasanation.Inotherwords,you,andyourcountry“Tempest”,wepromisetorecognizeitasalegitimatenationofmonsters.WehaveevenobtainedpermissionfromtheKingofBrumund.Ifyoursidecooperateswithus,we’llrecognizeyouguysasanation,andpromisedecentcorrespondence.」

Inotherwords,we’llmutuallystayvigilantaboutmonstersandhelpeachotherintimesofemergencies.Eitherway,we’resupposedtobeonguard,butwiththis,wewouldnothavetoworryaboutBrumund.Wewillnotifyandhelpeachotherwhenfacedwithassaultsbypowerfulmonsters.Idon’tthinkthere’llanyproblems.Ifweacceptthisoffer,we’llberecognizedasalegitimatecountry,thisdoesn’tseemlikeabaddeal.Well,I’lladmititthough,thecouncilthatwaspreviouslymentionedmaynotnecessarilyacknowledgethis,asBrumundistheonlycountryinthecouncilthatdoes.Still,gettingtheapprovaloftwocountries,aftertheDwarvenkingdomisamajorachievement.

「Verywell,Iwillacceptthisoffer.」

AfterIsaidthis,theatmospherefeltsignificantlylesstensethanbefore.Iwillprobablyhavebeencorneredifitweretocontinueanyway.

「Isee,that’sgreat.Nowthen,thisisthecertificateofapprovalfromthekingofBrumund.

Andthisisproofthatitisalegitimatedocument.」Whilesayingthis,hetookoutastampfromhispocket.

Thestampemittedlightinresponsetothespiritpledgemagic,thisshowsthatitisindeedalegitimatedocumentfromtheking.Myskill「Analyze」alsoshowthesameresults.Unexpectedly,contractualrelationshipfraudscan’tbeperformedinthis

world.Comparedtomypreviouslife,suchproceduresaremuchmoresimplified.ThisreallyhelpedmesinceIdon’thavetotakemytimetomeetthekingdirectly.Besides,theyprobablyaren’tgoingtoallowthekingtomeetamonster.Italsosimplifiedtheprocessinthataspectaswell.Andwithmysignatureonthetreaty,thetreatybetweenBrumundandTempesthasbeenestablished.Duringthisevent,athirdpartybearswitnessthatthetransactioniscarriedoutjustly.

Afterthat,wemadeafewarrangements,andconductedanothermeetingingoingintodetailsofthetreaty.Andforthefirsttime,Irememberedabouttheflawsofthecontractsinthisworld.

「So,intheeventwherewehavetomoveaforcethroughtheforest,we’llbecountingonyourcooperation.」

That’swhathesaid.Aforce.Thisisn’tsomethingrelatedtomonsters.Becauseweweretocooperateduringemergencies,thatalsoincludeswhenthenationisbeingattacked.Forexample,theeasternempire.Iweredeceived!Howdareyoudeceiveme!GUO————–!!!Iwantedtofaintinagony.IdiotIdiotIdiotIdiotIdiot.Stupidme!Irememberedthatsweettalk.IfyouthinkaboutitfromBrumund’sside,theynowhaveareasontogetmetocooperateevenwithoutmyconsent.Lookatthetrio(idiots),Ican’tevenchaseawayadventurers.Ifweweretogetthecountry’sapproval,there’snoneedforthat.Butthere’sareasonhedaringlysaysthat.Brumundwasreallyafraidthattheeasternempirewillinvadethroughtheforest.Inpreparationforwhenthathappens,theyprobablywantedmetobecomethebufferstate.

Certainly,hedidn’tlie.Ifwe’rehavingproblems,he’llalsocomehelp.Afterall,it’sourturnnext.Eveniftheempiredoesignoreus,we’regoingtohavetosendinreinforcementsfromBrumund.Anyway,wehavebeensuccessfullydeceived.

「Younoticed?Youarecertainlyquick.However,youhavealreadysignedthetreaty,sowhenthetimecomes,we’recountingonyou!」

Withagrin,Iwaslaughedatwithabeamingsmile.BaronBeloard.Amanwhohandlesworkverywell.Thatslyolddogofanoble,trickingpeoplelikemeisprobablyliketakingcandyfromababy.Tsk.Itcan’tbehelped,I’llletitslipfornow…Strangely,Idon’tfeelangryevenafterI’vebeendeceived.Apartfromtheshallowfeelingofregret,Ifeellikepraisingtheadversary.Ah~I’vebeenhad!Kindofmoment.Well,thisisalsoaformofexperience.I’llthinkaboutitwhentheempiredoesmove.Andagain,youcan’tletyourguarddownaroundhumans.Monstersareunexpectedlystraightforward.Imadeavowinmyheartthatfromnowown,whennegotiatingwithhumans,I’llhavetothinkmoredeeplybeforemakinganydecisions.

.

It’snotfuntobedeceived.Evenafterallthetrouble,Istillbenefitedfromtheexperience.Itookoutamediumhealingpotion,andplaceditonthetable.

「Thisis?」

BaronBeloardquestioned,

「It’sarecoverypotionmadeinmytown.Iwantedtosellitinthelocalmarkets.」

Ianswered.FuseandBeloardheldthepotionintheirhandandexaminedatit.Fusecandefinitelyperformanalyticalmagic.

「Whatisthis!T-thisisn’tsomecheapstuffsoldinthetown.U—mu,thisisahighclassgoodssimilartothosesoldintheroyalCapital.ThePharmasKingdomtaxesitwhentheydistributeit,butitdoesn’tcomeintothesemarkets…justhowmanydoyouhave?」

ItoldthemthatIcurrentlyhave500.Ifthey’rewillingtobuyonaregularbasis,Icanprobablysupplythem2000~3000monthlyifItakeitoutofthestorage.Inthiscountry,adventuresareatthefrontlines,andthere’sademandforthepotions.There’sabranchoftheFreedomAssociationatthePharmaskingdom,butadventurersthataffiliatedwiththemarefew.Thereareseveralreasons,thebiggestreasonbeingthatthere’satrendoflookingdownuponadventurers.However,it’salsoafactthatadventurerstendtobegenerouswiththeirmoney.And,theyalsohelpthinthenumberofdemons.Duetothisreason,therehavebeenrecentdesperateattemptsoftryingtoattractadventurers,buttherearen’tanyresultstoshow.That’swhy,goodslikehighqualityrecoverypotionsarevital,luringadventurerswhileimposinghightaxesondwarf-madeweapons?I’vethoughtaboutitthismuch.Ifit’sarmor,abitofadjustmentisallitneeds.Wemightevenbeabletoselloffthegearofmonsters.Ifthat’sthecase,peoplewillbeeagertobuyit.Attheveryleast,ifIsellaproductIwillbeabletoattainsomeprofit.Hopefully,Iwillbeabletomakeupformypreviousblunder.

WewereintroducedtothemerchantGarde-Myourmiles.IlefttheofficeofBaronBeloard,andproceededtovisitthemerchantGarde-Myourmiles.Atthecorneroftheshoppingstreet,therewasalargestorecalledtheMilesFirm.Thechairmanoftheshoppingstreetseemstobetheownerofthestore.

HehasjoinedtheFreedomAssociationMerchantGuild,butisaformalBrumundmerchantwiththecountry’spermission.It’squiterareforapersontohavethelicenseofboththecountryandtheFreedomAssociation.IwastoldthatGarde-Myourmileswasoneoftherareindividuals.

「Weeeeelco…?!Ahem,Welcome,pleasecomehereDanna,whatkindoforderdoyouhavetoday?」

IcamewithFusetoday,andIrepliedwithahumblebow.Whenyouthinkaboutit,thisoldmanFuseisalsoanauthoritativefigureinthiskingdom.

「TodayIcametointroducethisperson.ShowRespect!ImustreturnsinceIstillhavesomeerrands,pleaseexcusemyrudeness.」「Thisperson,whatkindofpersonisit?」「Inshort,astateguest.I’mleavingittoyou!」

Sayingthesepartingwords,fuseleft.I’vebeenleftbehindafterbeingreferredtoasastateguest.HowshouldIactifIgotlost?Well,it’sfineIguess.

「MynameisRimuru,pleasetakecareofme!Icametomakeabusinesstransaction,andmyproductisthis.」

Thuswestartednegotiating.AsexpectedofthemerchantMyourmiles.Hequicklyappraisedthegoodtoascertainitsvalue.Negotiationsbegan.

………

……

…

Attheend,Idecidedtosellthemhere,itwasdecidedthatthepricewillbe

22slivercoinseach.Andtheretailpricesetherewas25silvercoins.Aftertellinghimthelocationofourtown,heplanstogostockup.IfMyourmilesisgoingtobuymore,thenthesellingpriceattempestis20silvercoins.Inaddition,duetothematterofassistingadventurers,itwasdecidedthatthesellingpricetoadventurersattempestwillalsobe22silvercoins.Inthisfashion,weshookhandswitheachother,andsignedthecontract.Thistimewithoutanyfineprints,wewereabletoformasatisfactoryagreementwitheachother.

「ButDanna,Ican’tuseahorse-drawncarriagetoarriveatDanna’stown.Ifit’srestockingonrecoverypotions,Icanmanageitsomehow,butit’sgoingtoberatherinconvenient…」

Ofcoursethat’ssomethingwemustdiscuss.ItwouldhavebeenniceifIestablishedahighway.

「Iunderstand.ThenI’llbuildahighwaythatconnectsTempesttoBurmund.」「Eh?NANI?!」「You’llbeabletouseacarriageifImadearoadright?

Ithinkit’lltaketwomonthsforahorsecarriagetofinishthejourney.Ifwecutdownsometreeswe’llbeabletomakeadirectpath.Although,Ithinkit’sgoingtotakesixmonthstofinish.Isthatfine?」

「Ofcourse!Ialsowanttoseethe500you’resellingtoo!」

MyourmilesansweredwhilesmilingEar-to-earwhilstrubbinghishandstogether.Thehighwaytowardsthedwarfkingdomiscomplete.Now,we’llmoveonandestablishahighwaythatconnectstowardsBrumund.Thisway,tradebetweenTempestandBrumundhassupposedlystarted.

WhenthehighwaythatconnectsTempestandBrumundiscompeted,themerchantsofBrumundwillhavenoneedtogothroughtheFarmasKingdomtoreachtheDwarfKingdom.

Andthus,tempestisbecomingthenewcenteroftraderoutes.

Chapter55-AdventurerRegistration

There’sonlyonethingtodonowthatwesignedthecontract.Right–celebrate.Icouldn’tventureintotheunseenlandsyesterday,buttodayisdifferent.

「Myormiles-kun.Doyouhaveanyplansafterthis?」「Fufufufu,dannaalsoenjoysit,huh.ThisMyormileshastheperfectshopinmind!」「Hoho!But,areyouawarethatIhavehighstandardsforthesethings?」「Pleaseleaveittome!Iamcompletelycertainthatyoushallbepleased!」

Andthuswespendthenightdrinking.Idaresay!Whatablissfulday!Andlikethatforaweek.I’mstillinthecareofMyormiles’establishment.Ofcourse,I’mnotjustmessingaroundthewholeday.Using『ShadowStep』IwenttoletRigurdoknowaboutourarrangementwiththeBrumundKingdom,andtoorderBestertomassproducemedicine,amongotherthings.Ialsodidn’tforgettoorderKaijinandGerudotolayaroadallthewayhere.And,tohavethempreparelodgingspaceforadventurerswhowouldeventuallyshowupandtrainpeopletorepairarmorandweapons.Thoughwejustfinishedoneconstructionspree,everyoneseemedeagertostartanother.Aftergivingoutorders,Iwouldcomebackandspendthenightdrinking;that’showbusilyIspenteveryday.

Uponreceivingmyordersthecitylivenedupwithaction.Itshouldbefinetoleaveittothem.Atthisrate,theyshouldfinishtheroadwithinthenexttwomonths.ThemoneyImadefromsellingmediumgrademedicine(highpotions)totaled110goldcoins.CombinedwithwhatIalreadyhad,Icurrentlyhave126.

Igave100toMyormilessothathe’ddelivervegetablesproutsandseeds,andspicesofeverykindtoourcity.ButIstillhave26left.Sincethat’squitealargesumIplannedtosplurgetomyheart’scontent,buttherewasnothingIwantedtobuy.Theweek’sworthofdrinkingwascoveredbyMyormiles.Heprobablyintendedtoensurefavorablerelationsconsideringourfuturejointendeavors.Sohereallyletmehavemyway.Inotherwords,Ireceivedthebesttreatmentimaginable.Myormilesisdefinitelyausefulman.Andthat’showIbecamefriendswiththismerchant.ButI’mnotlettingmyguarddown.Myormilesissofteningpeopleupwithasmileonhisface.That’sthemarkofatruemerchant.Healsolendsoutmoneyatthehighestinterestrate,andI’veseenmanypotentialcustomersvisithimdaily.Butitseemsthathedoesn’tmeetthesepeoplepersonally;rather,heleavesittohisstoreattendants.Asexpectedofalicensedmerchant,hehasmanywaysofmakingprofit.There’salsosomenobleswhocometohimtoborrowsomemoney.Debtisafrighteningthing.Itcanalwaysbeused.Well,sincebothpartiesintendtobenefit,betrayalisunlikely.Merchantsfirstandforemostconsiderbothparty’sprofit.Ratherthanrelyingonapoorallianceit’sbettertoestablishtrustworthiness.ThiswholeweekI’vebeentryingtoascertainhischaracterwithintentionofconfirmingviabilityoffuturecooperation.

Signedthecontractandarrangedfuturedeliveries.Iguessit’stimetosetoffonajourney.IletMyormilesknowmyintentions.

「Thanksforthepastweek.I’llcometohangoutagain!」「Danna…I’llbewaitingforyourreturn!Please,please,comeagain!」「Yeah.IntwomonthsI’llsendagrouptoguardandleadyoutomycity.They’llcomeinmyname,soyou’llknowit’sthem.Ileaveittoyou.」「Understood!」

Wepartedafterthisexchange.Theattendantsandothercustomersweresurprisedathishumility.Ididn’tunderstandwhyatfirst,butafterthinkingforamomentitmadesense:shopownerwhonormallyactsarrogantlysuddenlyactssohumbletoachild–certainlyabizarrescene.MaybeIshouldhavechangedintomyadultformduringourconversation.Well,toolatenow.Andso,Ilefttheshop.

AfterleavingIheadedstraightfortheFreedomAssociation.TheyalreadywroteanintroductionlettertoKagurazakaYuuki.Ofcourse,I’mplanningongoingtogetit,butIalsoneedtofinallygetanIDinthisworld.Thecountryhaspromisedtorecognizemyperson,soI’llberegisteringattheguild.Otherwise,I’dhavetogofromcountrytocountrydemandingidentificationeverytimeIvisited,andthatwouldbepain.IfIregisterasanadventurer,IwouldberecognizednotbyasinglecountrybutbyeverycountrythatcooperateswiththeAssociation.Afterregistering,unlesssometroublescomeup,IshouldprobablymakemywaytowardstheIngrasiaKingdom.

Withoutdelay,Ilineduptothereceptionist.Theyseemprettyfreeatnoon,soIquicklygottoseesomebody.

「Registration,please.」「Littlegirl,isn’titabittoosoonforyou?」

Thereceptionistladysoftlyrebukedmyrequest.That’stobeexpected,consideringmyappearance.It’sstillapain,though.

「Idon’tmind,there’snoproblem.」

AfterIsaidsothereceptionistladyreluctantlyhandedmetheregistrationform.Ifilledintheformshegaveme.Name,age,specialty,birthplace,andsuch.SeemslikeIneedtofillinonlywhatIknow.

SoIonlyfilledinthenameandidentifiedmyselfasaswordsman.Withthat,Ifinishedfillingintheform.Next,Iwouldneedtodecidewhichguildtojoin.Youcanjoinmorethanone,soit’snotsomethingtofretabout.IdecidedontheSubjugationDivision.

「Littlegirl,that’sadangerousone.Areyousure?」

Theworriedreceptionistsaid,butItoldhernottomindit.Iwonderedifshe’dgiveup,but

「Inthatcase,let’sholdatrial.Ifyouleavethecitygates,thelowestrankisnotF,it’sE.So,Ican’trecognizeyouwithoutatrialfirst.Whatwillyoudo?It’salrighttogiveup,youknow?」

JustjoiningtheFreedomAssociationwouldmakeyouanFrank.TojoinCombatSpecializedDivisions,however,youwouldneedtobeatleastErank,huh?Isee.

「Inthatcase,pleaseputmetoatest.」

Idecidedtoacceptthetrial.Aslongasit’snotawrittentest,thereshouldn’tbeaproblem.Thereceptionistladystoodupandwentinside.Then,shebroughtaman.He’llprobablyoverseethetest.

「Youarebeingtested,huh?Whatever.Comeatme.」

Hesaid,andhadusmovetoanotherbuilding.Theboredadventurerswhosawthisbegantomurmuramongthemselves.

「Oioi,thatsmallchildisn’tplanningontesting,right?That’stooridiculous!」「Wannabetonwhethershepassesornot?」「Stopit,theoutcomeisclear!」「But,shedidhaveastrangeswordonherhip.Neverseenonelikethat

before!」「Seemedprettyskillfultoo…」

Theywhisperedtoeachother.Sincethere’slittletokilltimewith,theyprobablyjumpontheopportunitytodiscussthesekindsofthings.Intheend,theywanderedafterustoobserve.

Thetestwasheldinabuildingaslargeasagymnasium.Thetesttomoveuntothenextrankisalsoheldhere.Youcan’ttakerequestswithoutanappropriaterank,soyoucantakethetestatanytime.Forthatpurpose,aproctorfromeveryguildisalwayspresent.Butsinceproctorsaresometimesrelieduponintimesofneed,theyaremostlyhiredfromamongrankA-adventurersretiredfrommilitaryservice.Similarly,themaninfrontofme,albeityoung,ismissingaleg.Heprobablylostitperforminghisdutiesandbecameaproctorinstead.

「I’llsaythisaheadoftime.Ifyoupass,youbecomeErank,andareallowedtosubsequentlychallengeDandCrank,andabove.However,ifyoufail,youhavetofirstearn100F-pointsbeforetestingagain.Doyouunderstand?」

F-pointsareobtainedfromFrankrequests.Rewardsandpointsdifferbetweendifferentlevelsofrequests.Inshort,yougetrewardedforyourskill.Doingthesamethingoverandover,afterall,onlytroubleseverybody.

「Noproblem.」

Ianswered,andtheproctornoddedinreturn.And,pointingattheground,

「Thetestwillbeconductedwithinamagiccircle.Enterit.Afteryoufinishyourpreparations,webegin.」

Wherehepointedlayatwentymeterindiametermagiccircle.

Ienteredit.Atthesametime,adomelikebarrierwaserected.Somepeoplewereexcitedlylookingthisway.

「I’mready!」

Ishouted.

「Alright.Inthatcase,defeattheopponentbeforeyou!」

Theproctorsaid,andpouredmagicintothecircle.Summoningmagic.Andasinglehoundappearedbeforeme.It’softenusedtopractice.But,that’sallthereistoit.Fasterthanthedogcouldgrowl,andmaybeevenfasterthanitcouldshowfearofme.Idecapitateditinasingleslash.

「Yo.Defeated,nextoneplease!」

Iwaswelcomedbysilence.

「A-amazing…」

Iheardthatwhisper.Theproctorforthefirsttimeshowedconfusion.

「You…weren’tabeginner?」「No,IneversaidIwas,didI?Inanycase,IwanttoquicklybecomeAranked!」「Sorry,youcanonlytestuptoBhere;B+rankandaboveareconductedattheheadquartersonly.So,whatnow?WillyoutestuptoB?」「Isthatso…Gotit!Inthatcase,I’llgouptoB,please.」

It’sapain,solet’sgetitoverwith.SinceI’mheadingthereanyways,Imightaswelltakeeverytestupuntilthen.Noddingatmywords,andafterhavingregainedhiscomposure,the

proctorsummonsthenextopponent.

D→HoundWolfC→GiantBearC+→GiantBat

I’msmoothlycuttingthrougheveryfoehesummons.Theaudienceisnowsilent,observingmyfight.Chancesare,theyaresimplygluedtothescenebeforethem.Inanycase,I’vebeenabletocutdownmyopponentswithasingleslashthusfar.Ilaughedwhenagiantbatappeared.Howmanyyearshasitbeensinceitfirstattackedme!Andafterdefeatingit,IwasalreadyuptorankC+.ThenextoneisrankB.

「Superb.Tothinkyouweresoskilled…Brankmonsterisstrong.Areyouready?」「Noproblem.Pleasesenditin!」

Thus,thelastenemywassummoned.Ademonwithfourwrigglingarms.Named:LesserDemon.That’sthefirsttimeI’veseenademonrace.Ikindofwanttoeatitandobtainitsabilities.

「Thatmonsterisalesserdemon!Physicalattackswon’tworkagainstit.Now,whatwillyoudo?Youshouldgiveupnow!Woundsfromthisthingmightjustkillyou!」

Theproctorexclaimed,somewhatexcited.He’sprobablyjustbitterthatI’vedefeatedalltheenemiessoeasilyupuntilnow.ButwhatshouldIdo?Idon’treallywanttoshowmyskillsormagic.WhileIwasponderingthis,thelesserdemon’seyesflashedred,andhestartedchantingmagic.Then,hefiredfourfireballsatme.AsexpectedofaBrankmonster.Trulyamazing.Ieasilydodgetheattack,feelingthemgaudilyexplodeagainstthebarrier

behindme.However,didthethreeidiotsreallydefeatthisthingalone?

「Hey,isn’talesserdemonsomethingyouchallengewithateam?」「Yeah.Iwasjustthinkingthat.」「Hey,hey.Defeatingthataloneisimpossible.That’slikearankB+test!」

Iheardsuchexclamations.IfIlookcloselyattheproctor,hiseyesarebloodshot.Hmph.Iguesssomehazingistobeexpected.Whatever.Physicalattacksaren’treallyeffective.It’sonlyhalfcorporeal,afterall.Ademonrace,itseems,isanetherealbeingthatpossessesintelligenceandobtainsabody.ThelesserdemonwasannoyedatthefactthatIkeptdodgingitsattacks,soitcameatmewithitsfourarms.Icouldsimplyeatit.Ihavenochoice,let’senveloptheswordwithmagic.Amagicsword.LikeIalwaysdo,Ibringoutabitofmyaura;and,Icarefullyinfusesomeintotheswordasifnottoberevealedasamonster.Now,allIneedistoslashatit.Thelesserdemonwascutinhalfbymysword,turnedintorubbish,anddisappeared.

「Yo.Theend?IsthatgoodenoughforBrank?」

Theaudiencewassilentforamoment,but…

「Amazing~!!!Girl,you’resocool!」「Takeyourmaskoffandshowusyourfaceforasecond!」「Youperverts!Don’tmindthemandformapartywithus!」

Andothersimilargrandstatementsresoundedthroughoutthehall.Whataruckus.Theproctoralsoseemedtohavecalmeddownorsomething,saying

「Wonderful!Youpass!Youpasswithflyingcolors.」

Heshookmyhand.

Heprobablycompletelyforgotthehazingamomentago.NotthatIcare.And,ignoringtherequestsfromtheaudience,Iproceededbackintothemainbuildingtofinishtheformalities.IwasrecognizedasaBrankadventurerandreceivedtheappropriatecard.

Name:RimuruRank:BSpecialty:SwordDivision:Subjugation

That’swhatthecardreads.Itseemstheydidn’tincludethesectionsIleftblank.Alright.Icannowcallmyselfanadventurer.Ireceivedthecardandsaidmythanks.Thereceptionistladynowtreatedmedifferent.Thoughshepreviouslytreatedmeasachild,shenowactedwithrespectbefittinganotheradult.Asexpectedofaprofessional.She’squicktorectifyherbehavior.

Leavingthembehind,IproceededtoimposeonFuze.Ihadsomeoneleadtheway.Wewentthroughthemagiccircle,andknockedonthedoor.WhenIentered,Fuzeturnedtomeandexclaimed,

「Oioi,you’restandingouttoomuch!Tocutalesserdemonwithasword…don’tyouknowhowtoholdback!Amagicsword,right?Evenenchanterscan’tusethatmuchpower,soyou’vedoneitnow!」「Hmm?DidIcauseaproblem?Actually,ifyouwerelookingthenyoushouldhavestoppedit!」「Seriously…Ididn’tevenhavethetimeto…It’sfine.Magicswordshavebeenintroducedby“WorldTravelers”andareexperimentalrightnow.So,there’sfewpeoplewhouseone.We’replanningtomakeitourtrumpcardagainstmonsters,sousersareselectedbyinvitationonly.I’llsilencetheproctor,butbemorecarefulfromnowon!」

Infusingmagicintoasword–thoughyou’dexpectittobeacommon

technique–it’sactuallyreallydifficult.Well,ifthereweren’tpeoplewatching,I’djusteatit.ThoughIpayitnomind,itseemsthatIhavemanyhighgradeskills.Sohavingselectedthisoneonawhim,Istoodouttoomuch.NotlikeI’mplanningtofightinfrontofeverybodyfromnowon.ButIshouldbemoremindfulfromnowon.

「Thanks.I’llbemorecarefulfromnowon.And,I’moff!」「Right!Passmyregardstotheheadquarters.Andbecareful!」

AfterthankingFuzeandpickingupmyintroductionletter,IlefttheFreedomAssociation.IgotaGuildCardasmyidentification,andearnedmoneyformytravelexpenses.Arrangedsupportformycity,andevenformeddiplomaticrelationshipswithacountry.Notbadforafirstouting.Ifpossible,Iwouldrathernotfightagainsthumans.Formingafriendlyrelationshipandcooperatingwiththemfromnowonwouldbebest.

AndthusendedmystayinBrumund.NextonmylistisIngrasiaKingdom’sRoyalCapital.TomeetFreedomAssociationHeadquarter ’sGrandMasterKagurazakaYuuki.Ithusresumedmyjourneytomeetafellowworldtraveler.

Chapter56–IngrasiaKingdom

ThejourneytoIngrasiaKingdomproceededwithoutincident.IsummonedRanga,andhadhimassumeasmallerform.Healsohasfurarmorequipped,sothereshouldn’tbeanyproblemsifhumansseehim.Thatis,hecurrentlylookslikeaslightlybiggerblackwolf.Thoughtheroadwetraveledbywasunpaved,itwasstillconsideredahighway,sowedidseesomemountedsoldiers.Fewmonstersspawnaroundhere,andthere’slittlemagicintheair.Wedidn’tseeanypowerfulmonsters.However,theroadswereinfested,insomesense.Robbersandhighwaymen,thosepettytypeswerealloverthem.Butwedidn’tevenrunintothem.Well,Iguessthat’stobeexpected.WhatkindofbeingcouldcatchupwithRanga’space?Andit’snotlikewe’rerunningatneck-breakpace;we’reproceedingleisurely,butstillatleast60kmperhour.Farfasterthananyhorsecarriage.Thus,thejourneyproceededsmoothly,andwearrivedtoIngrasiaRoyalCityinmerelytwodays.

Thescaleofthecitywassurprising.Sure,it’splentywide,butthere’salsoalargewallsurroundingthecity.Twogatesleadintoit,andthere’snowayinexceptforthetwogates.It’sbafflingtothinkjusthowmuchmoneyandtimewasneededtoconstructthis.Weenteredthecityandmarveledatthesight.Manytallstructuresfilledthecity,butthatmuchweexpected;however,thescaleofthebuildingswasincomparablethoseinBrumund.Mostwereatleastfivestorieshigh.Thecitywasfullofbrickandwoodbuildings.Butmorethananything,itwasthestrictcityplanningandthewhitecastleinthemiddleofthecitythatmademewonder.Alargelakeoccupiedthecenterofthecity,andacastlewasbuiltinthemiddleofit.

Fourbridgesextendfromthecastleandconnecttothecity’smainroads.Thissolemnpieceofarchitectureproperlyconveyedthecountry’smilitarystrength.Inshort,allIthoughtwas:amazing!Fromtheperspectiveofdefense,everyimportantjunctionhasknightsmonitoringpublicorder.You’dhavetobeprettydesperatetoevenattemptacriminalact.AsexpectedofacityplannedaheadoftimebytheCouncil.Imean,justthinkoftheconsequencesifsomeforeignprinceranintotroublehere.Topreventsuchoccurrences,thecityhasperfecteditsdefense.

ThankstotheguildcardIwasabletoquicklypassthroughoneofthegates;normally,onehastoundergothreedifferentidentitycheckstobepermittedaccess.Atthefirststep,theycheckyouridentificationdocuments.Ifyousuccessfullypassthischeck,youhavetogothroughathoroughbodysearch.Then,lineupinanotherline.Eachpointisheavilyprotected,andthelinesarefarlongerthantheoneintheDwarfKingdom.Inotherwords,I’mtrulyhappythatIhadtheguildID.Bytheway,evenifthereareanyproblemsduringyoursecondcheck,youcouldgoontothethird,butyou’dbetreatedasacriminalfromthenon.You’dbasicallybetreatedinawaythatwilldiscourageyoufromtryingtoenter.Butstill,therearemanypeopletryingtogainentrance.Andso,extremelylonglinesstretchinfrontoftheinspectors.Thisallprovesjusthowbeguilingthiscityistoforeigners.

Iproceedonwardimpressed.AsforRanga,he’senteredmyshadowfromthemomentwereachedtheroyalcapital.What?YouthoughtIwouldjustbringhimhereintheopen?Ofcoursenot.Wolvesdon’tbelongincities.EvenIhavethatmuchcommonsense.Don’tworry.Andso,afterhavinghiddenRangainmyshadowandspenthalfadayin

line,wefinallyenteredthecity.What’samazingismorethanitsappearance.Iwasabletoseeawonderfuldisplayoftheiradvancedculture.Isawmanylargegymnasiumstyledbuildingsthatareusedforconcerts.Busysquaresarehometoperformersandtheaters.There’salsolotsofadvertisementsforperformances.Idon’tknowifpaperisjustthatcheaphere,butyouseeflyersthrownawayonthestreets.Trulyametropolis.Iwasfinallyabletosmelltheairofbusycapitalaftersuchalongtime.Noway!Ithoughtinsurprise,lookingatglassbuildings.Behindtheglassyoucouldseeproductsbeingsold,likethestorewindowsofourworld.Actually,Iguessthat’sexactlywhattheyare.Theonlydifferencewouldbethatthemainproductsondisplayarearmorsandweapons.Thestoresthatspecializedindressesandsuchwerelocatedclosertothecastle—inthehighclassdistrict.Butthosearenotstoresintendedforthemasses.You’dhavetobeprettyrichjusttoliveinsidethecitywalls,buthousingnearthecastleiscertainlylimitedonlytothenobles.Andthat’sasignofwealthdisparity.Well,that’sjusthowitis.Isn’titnaturaltotreatthosethatcontributemoretotaxesbetter?Thus,afterwanderingaroundthecityforabit,Istartedlookingforaninn.Thecityisseparatedintofourlargedistricts.Themerchant’sdistrict,thesightseeingdistrict,theproductiondistrict,andtheresidentialdistrict.Separatedbythecastleinthecenter,acircularcity.Andeasytounderstand.So,Iproceededtothesightseeingdistrict.AsIthought,Iquicklyfoundasectiondedicatedtoinns.Therewasalsoabarintheback.Thatgotmeexcited.However,thatwasnotmygoaltoday.Unfortunately,Iabstainedfromfestivities,andreservedaroomintheinn.

Thesightseeingdistrictisnearthewalls,withvariousattractionslinedup

inthestreets.There’salsoquiteafewstreetvendors.Closertothecenterisalargebuildingintendedfordiplomatsandconferences.There’salsoaschoolinside,itseems.Ofthefoursectionsofthisdistrict,itisthemostheavilyguarded.AndclosetothissectionstandstheFreedomAssociation’smainheadquarters.Ididn’tknowwhereitwasatfirst,soIhadaskedaknightfordirections.

「Whichonedoyouhavebusinessin?Theclosestoneisstraightthatway.」

Hesaid,pointing.Inthatdirectionstoodalargegaudybuilding.Nexttoit,wasabuildingaffiliatedwiththeWesternSaint’sChurch.ASaintCrosssymbolstoodproudlyonthetop.

「Nexttothatchurch?」「Right,thegaudyone.Evenalittlegirllikeyouwouldn’tgetlostgettingtoit.」

That’showIlearnedtheway.TheFreedomAssociationseemstohaveanotherbuilding,butI’llheadtothenearestonefirst.It’saprettylargebuilding,thatcanbeseenfromfaraway.Thus,aftersecuringaplaceattheinn,IhadcometotheFreedomAssociation’sHeadquarters.RightnowIhavenobusinesswiththechurch.Actually,asanatheist,I’dprefertostayawayfromthechurchmywholelife.Moreover,thechurchconsidersmonstersitsnaturalenemy.SoI’drathernotappearbeforeit.ButwhowouldhaveexpectedittostandsoclosetotheFreedomAssociation.Well,aslongasIdon’trevealanyofmyauratheyshouldn’trecognizemeforwhoIam.Notthatthere’sanyuseworryingaboutit.Iftheyfindout,we’llfigureoutthenextstepthen.TheentrywaytotheAssociationiscoveredinglass.Musthavecostalot.Frankly,Ihadn’texpectedtoseeglassdoorsinthisworld.Justwhatyou’dexpectfrom“WorldTravelers”.Theyseemedtohaveachievedtheimpossiblethroughpurewill.Iguess

myowneffortshavebeenlackingthusfar.Whatyoupermithappens,andwhatyoudon’tpermitdoesn’thappen.Ratherthansayingwhatyoucanorcan’tdo,simplydoingitisimportant.Let’srememberthat.And,whenIhadthoughttoenter,Ifeltapresencestaringatme.Thedoorsopenedbythemselves.Seriously!Asensordetectshumanpresenceandopensthedoor.Whatauselessexampleofintricatetechnology.I’msurprisedtheywentthisfar.Consideringthatthechurchnextdoorisopenedbyhand.“Whyisitdifferent.It’snextdoor!”Icouldn’tfathomthereasonforthedifference.

WhenIenteredIfeltagazefalluponme.Aladybythedoorsaid,

「Welcome!Forwhatpurposehaveyouvisitedustoday?」

Justlikeinahotel.Theheadquartersaretooinfluencedbythem.

「Ah,IwishtomeetwiththeGrandMaster.Ihaveanintroductoryletter.」

Isaid,andhandedherthedocument.

「Allowmetoverifyit.Pleasewaitinthisroom.」

Sheguidedmetoawaitingroom.TheHeadquartersarereallyimpressive.ThemomentIsatonthesofaanotherattendantbroughtmetea.Theyreallyleavenothingtobedesired.Isuddenlygotcurious,soIasked,

「Hey,securityseemsprettylaxaroundhere;canjustanyonewaltzinlikethis?」「Oh,thismustbeyourfirsttimetotheheadquarters.OnlyadventurersofBrankandabovecanenterit.Theentrancescansyourguildcard,sopeoplewithoutaproperidentificationcannotenter.

ThosebelowBrank,C+andbelowhavetousethebuildingneartheentrancetothecity.」

Sosheexplained.Isee,sothesensoralsohadthatpurpose.Andtheotherbuildingtheknighthadmentionedmustbethatone,huh.Sooutsidersdon’tknowaboutthenecessaryrankrequirements.Iprobablywouldhavebeensenthereafterpresentingtheletter,butI’mgladIstoppedbyherefirst.RankinguptoBwasalsothecorrectdecision.WhileIwasthinkingthis,Iheardaknockonthedoor.Adooropenedandinsteppedaman.Blackhairandblackeyes,theappearanceofayouth.Arathergoodface,blessedwithatrulyyouthfulappearance.Hecouldeasilyintroducehimselfasahighschoolstudent.

「Pleasedtomeetyou,IamKagurazakaYuuki,TheGrandMasteroftheFreedomAssociation.I’mlookingforwardtoourconversation,Rimuru-san.I’lllistenintently!」

Hesaid,flashingbrightsmile.Aneasytobefriendyounglad.That’showImetKagurazakaYuuki.

＊　＊　＊

*Paaaaan!*Thedoorflewopen,andMilimentered.Thatwasthenorm,soFreydidn’treactmuch.Inthefirstplace,thelargemassofenergythatwasrapidlyapproachinghercouldonlybeMilim.WhenMilimentered,shehappilyexclaimedwithawidesmile,

「Yahoo,Frey!Whatwonderfulweatherwehavetoday!」

Shewascombingherbeautifulblondhairwithherhand.Herhandsadornedwithanunfamiliaritem.Notaring.Somethingenvelopingfourofherfingers,withdragonimagesasdecorations.

Itfitnaturallyaroundhersmallhands.

「Hmm….didIcometooearly?」

Shesaid,fanningherface.Sincewhenisshebotheredwiththeheat…?

「Ara,Milim.It’sbeenawhile.Youseeminagoodmoodtoday.Didsomethinggoodhappen?」「Nnn,doesitshowonmyface?Lookatthis!」

Shesaid,showingthedragonknucklesonherhands.Proudlylaughing“Fufun!”Freycouldonlysightoherself.

「Ara,my!Theysuityouquitewell.Where’dyougetthem?」

Afterdecidingtopraiseher,Freyaskedthatquestion.Whilefidgetinginembarrassment,Milimsaid,

「Wanttoknow?ShouldItellyou…shouldI…Hmm…whatshouldIdo…」

Andsimilarpointlesslines.Howannoying.Frey,whohadknownMilimforawhilenow,couldonlythinkthat.

「Ara,aren’t“we”friends?Youcantellme,can’tyou?」

Uponhearingthesewords,Milim’seyesopenedwide.

「Right!Wearefriends!Alright.I’lltellyou.Thethingis…!」

AndthusFreyheardfromMilimaboutthemonsters’city.Constantlybraggingandshowingofftheclothingshegot.FreycouldnothidehersurpriseatthesightofsuchamerryMilim.OnceMilimfinishedtellingthestoryonce,

「Right,right.Milim,as“friends”,IhaveapresentIwanttogiveyou.Willyouacceptit?」

Freysaid,andbeckonedherattendant.Theattendantbroughtitin.Lyingonapurplecloth,abeautifuljewel.Andthisbeautifuljewelwasembeddedinsideastunningpendant.Anypersonwhosawitwouldrecognizeitsastoundingvalue.

「Hmm?Thisisthepresent?Isitokayformetoacceptit?EvenifIdo,Iwon’tbegivingyouthedragonknuckles!」

Milimsaid,withawrysmile.

「Don’tworry,Milim.It’sproofofourfriendship.A“friend’s”gift,asIsaid.Willyouwearitforme?」

Freysaidwithasoftsmile.“Iwill!”Milimexclaimedwithabrilliantsmile.

〈Incantation:PreparingDemonMarionette…success.〉

Atthatmoment,Milim’ssmilingfacewentrigid.Somethingflashedinhereyes,butherconsciousnesswasalreadygone.Thedragonknucklesslidrightoffherhands.Seeingthisreaction,Freysighedinrelief.

「It’sdone,Clayman.Isthisfine?」

Shesaidtoadark,emptycorneroftheroom.Fromwhereyou’dthinknoonecouldbeasinglemanemerged.DemonLordClayman.OnecalledtheMarionetteMaster.

「Kukuku.Welldone,Frey.Ihavenowacquiredthestrongestdoll!Kuuuuhahahahahaha!!!You’velookeddownonmeasayoungdemonlord,buttohavefallenforsuchapettytrick…howpitiful,Milim!」

Withasinistersmile,ClaymanstruckMilimacrosstheface.Herplumpcheeksturnedredandherlipsplit.Milim,whowasnormallyclothedinmanydefensebarriers,didnothavemuchdefenserightnow.Anormalgirl,no,evenlowerthanahuman;it’snaturalforhertobehurtbyademonlord’sattack.Kuahahahaha!Whileloudlylaughing,Claymancontinuedhisonslaught.

「Shouldn’tyoustopnow?」「Hmph,it’snotaspellthatwoulddisappearwithalittledamage!Consideringherarrogantattitude,surelyyou’vegotagrudgeortwoagainsther?Isn’tthatwhyyouagreedtothisplan?No?Ifso,thendon’tholdback.Shecan’tresistanymore.Well,sheispointlesslysturdy,andwecanjustkeephealingherwhenshebreaks!」

Hiseyesbloodshot,ClaymankickedMilimintotheair.ContrarytoClayman,Freywascalmlyobserving.

「Hey,Clayman.Youdon’tknow,butMilimhasanautomaticdefensemode,yousee?Wecallit“Rampage”wheresheusesabilitiesbeyondherbody’slimit.Soifyouwanttodie,bemyguest,butdon’tinvolvemeinyourside.Gotit?」

Claymanregainedhiscomposureuponhearingthesewords.

「Tch.Whatajokeofademonlord.What’swiththeoldestdemonlord.Lookingdownonus.Whatever.IfIuseher,Icanimprovemystandingamongthedemonlords.Frey,you’remyaccomplice.Sodon’tgothinkingyoucanbetraymenow!」「Ara?Weren’twesupposedtobeequals?」「Fool!I’mtheonewhocameupwiththeplan!You’vealreadybecomeoneofmypieces.Youdon’twanttodiebyMilim’shandsrightnow,doyou?Kuhahaha!NowthatIobtainedMilim,youcan’trejectmeanylonger!」

Freymadeanunpleasantfaceuponhearinghiswords.

YouaretheSkyQueen,theruleroftheskies,no?YouwishforMilimtodisappearandIcanmakeithappen!

Sheagreedtotheplanbecauseofthosewords.AsshesomehowlearnedthatMilimisweaktotheword“friend”,

「Iunderstand.」「Good.Justdon’ttrytobetrayme.What,youaren’tlikeMilim–Iwon’torderyouaround.Justaskafewfavorshereandthere!」

Whilecontinuinghislaughter,Claymansaid.Now,hehasassembledthreedemonlordsbeneathhim.Apowerthattheircouncilcannolongerignore.Attheveryleast,he’sfarsurpassedtheotheryoungdemonlords.MilimandFrey.Bycontrollingthesetwo,hecouldperhapsevenforcetheotherstofollow.Then,eventheoldgenerationwouldcometofearhim.He’llrulethemall!Afterall,he’sthemarionettemaster!He’llleadthemallunderthatname.ThenextoneonthelistisDemonLordKarion.Afterthat,thenextwouldbe…

Claymanwasbusyplanning.Freycoldlyobservedthis.Onthefloor,Milim’sdragonknucklesemittedafaintlight.ButtherewasnolightinMilim’seyes.Thedragonknucklesglowedinvain.

Chapter57-ToLearnMagic

KagurazakaYuukiwasanopenheartedgoodguy.Hisageshouldbeinthesecondhalfofthe20s,buthislookisstilllikeahighschoolstudent.Iheardthereason;itwasduetosomekindofcurse.Whenhecomestothisworld,itseemshedidn’tacquireanyuniqueskilloruniqueabilities,onlyhisphysicalabilitiesthatgrowabnormally.

[Well~,Igiveup.Actually,Inoticedsomethingwasstrangeafterfiveyearshavepassed.....]

Hesaysthatwhilelaughingandscratchinghishead.Thankstothat,Iheardheneverhadadatewithwomenbefore.Actually,heisafellowwhopossessesagoodimpression.

[Well,isthatso?!That’sdisappointing!Hahaha.Eventuallyit’llturnbetter!]

I’mcomfortinghimsincerely.

[Bytheway,Rimuru-san,areyouaMonster?ButhowcouldyoupassthebarrieroftheAssociationheadquarters?][N?Ah,I’maMonster.Mytrueidentityisslime.Thistrivia,pleaseconcealit!][No,no!That’snotjustatrivia!Notthat.Whydidyoumadesuchcityformonsters?][Eh?No,thereareenoughmonsterstoestablishacity,isitunusual?][No.....AlthoughfromwhatIheardthere’snootherlike......][Isthatso?][That’sright.]

Westareateachotherforawhile.Well,whatever.FornowIdecidedtogetalongwiththeLeaderofAssociation(GrandMaster).

Itistodiscouragethecity’simageasasuspiciousmonsterscity,fornowlet’stalkaboutthetruth.Cometothinkaboutit,Shizu-sanisawareofmytrueidentityfromtheairIcarry.Ithinkshe’sanamazingperson.Usually,thereisnoonethatwillthinkapersonfromanotherworldwouldreincarnateasaslime.

[Actually,I’ma“SpaceAlien”....][Whatareyoutryingtosay?You?Rather,it’sthefirsttimeIheardspacealiensincecominghere!Byanychance......][Damn,Iwasexposed!So,mytrueidentityisamysteriousherothatfightsafterdoingTransformation(FormChange)!KamenRacer!]

*pose*!OrascloseasIcoulddo,(TL:Nice!)

[Hownostalgic!KamenRacer,Iwaswatchingittoo!So,asIthought,Rimuru-sanyou’re....aJapanese,right!]

Fufu.AfterItellsomematerialthatonlyfellowcountrymencouldunderstand,it’sabull’seye.Incase,hedoesn’tknowthestory,atthattimeIwillthinkaboutsomethingelse.Afterthat,wetalkaboutvariousthingstogether.Thingsthathappenaftercomingtothisworld,Shizu-san’sfinalmoments.Livinginthisworld,Magic.Thetopicsfromtheworldontheotherside.SuchlikeendingsandfinalepisodesofMangaandAnime,heleanshisbodyforwardandreallygetintoit.

[Master!Fromthispoint,pleaseinstructmebyallmeans!](ED:us?Haven’tread55&56)(TL:Sorryaftercheckingtheraw,it’smenotus)[FuFuFu.It’sdifficult.Theanimeyoureallywanttoknowisalreadycompleted!Ofcourse,onthosemattersthegreatIwon’tmakeanymistakes,Iwillrestrainonwhatshouldnotbesaid.(TL:ShouldIwriteitas“Iwillnot

giveunnecessaryspoiler”)It’sagentleman’setiquette!!!]

[Haha~~~!!!Byallmeans,ofcourse!]

Hisdesperationcomesout.

Inthemiddleoftheconversation,thesecretaryonee-sanenteredtheroomwithtea,Sheopenedhereyesinshockandalmostdroppedthetray.Asexpected,theprankhasprobablyended.Well,Hecan’treadthecontinuationofhisfavoritemanga,soit'snaturalforhimtobeinterested.Amongthem,somehadreacheditsconclusion,butmostofthemdidn’tadvancedthatmuch.Someofthemwereinterestingbutsomewereawful.

That'swhatIexpectedfromhim,Japanese“WorldTraveler”thathasknowledgeafterlivinginthisworldfor10years.

Ofcourse,theserioustalksbeginnow.Thepreviousoneisonlycasualtalk.

[Rimuru-san,thereasonyoucametotheRoyalCapital,isnotonlytomeetme,yourfellowcountrymen,right?Isyourgoalto“Return”?]

Return.I’mthinkingaboutit.However,Igaveuponit.BecauseI’malreadydead.However,foryoungpeoplesuchasthem,returningmightbetheirgoal.

[Areyouabletodothat?]

Regardingthisquestion,theresponsethatcomeswassilence.It’snotaneasythingtodo.

Ifitisaneasythingtodo,theywouldalreadyreturnalongtimeago.Ialreadythoughtthat.

[It’slikeaonewayroad.Thisworldislikeahalfmaterialworld.....]

And,Iunderstoodtheexplanationhegives.It’ssimple;thepreviousworldwasafullmaterialworld,becausethereisnomagicpoweronEarth.Spirits,demons,fairies,monsterscanexistbecausetherearemagicpowerinthisworld.Therefore,youcaneasilygodown,butit’simpossibletoclimbup.Onceyourbodybecamehalfmaterial,youcan’tturnbackeasilyintoyourfullmaterialbody.

[However,thereisaway.Fromthelegendinthematerialworld(Earth)aboutdemonanddevil,ifsomeconditionsaremet,itispossibletotravelbetweenworlds.]

Thetalkshadbeenfinished.Well,itiswhatiscalledstepsinaresearch.Forthatgoal,IguessIwouldliketocontinuehearingtheprogressionoftheresearch.

[Well,ifI’mabletolivecarefree,thenthat’senough.Thetownhadbeenfinished,andit’senjoyabletobetogetherwithmycompanion.ToconversewithfellowcountrymenisoneofthebiggestreasonIcometothisRoyalCapital.Butthere’sactuallyanotherpurposebesidesit,andthat’s.....]

Theotherpurposeswere.TobuymagicstonesandinspectingtheRoyalCapital.Tomeasurethedegreeofcivilization,thosevisitsarethatimportant.However,themostimportantpurposeIhadnotforgotten.Thatis,tolearnmagic!

[Well,therewereseveralpurposes.It’sgoodtotalkwithyou,afterthisIwanttovisittheLibrary.]

WhenIsaidthat,

[Ah,Isee.So,it’sMagicright?Thatsureisnice...Ialsowanttolearnsomeofit,howeverforsomereasonIcan’tuseit.Ithinkitmightbebecausethechangeinmybody’snature.Magic,wouldbeaman’sspecialromance......]

Thisperson,itseemsthatheisalsothekindofpersonwhounderstoodaman’sromance.Asexpected,sinceitexistshewantstobeabletouseit.[Isee.HowlongdoyouintendtostayattheRoyalCapital?][N?Ihadthoughttostayforabout1month.Nowthen,IwonderifIcanlearnmagicbythattime.][Ifthat'sso,can’tyoustayforabout3months?]

Hearingtheexplanation,itseemsthereislackofschoolteacherintheRoyalCapital.Thereisalotofimpertinentstudent,soit’simpossiblefortheBrankadventurerintheRoyalCapital.Whenthenewschooltermbegins,thenewARankisscheduledtoarriveandtakeupthepositionoftheteacher.So,thereisaneedtoentrustthepositionfor3monthsuntilthen.

Thereisnoreasontohurry,evenifImayacceptitsomehow...Whilethinkingaboutthis,

[Teacher ’sdormitory,3mealsaday,andsalaryof10silvercoinsaday.Also!HowaboutadditionalfreepasstotheRoyalCapitallibrary?]

[Ofcourse,Iwilltakeit!YouwoulddothesameifI’mintrouble!][[[Hahahahahaha!]]]

Weshookeachother ’shandwhilesmiling;IgotajobattheRoyalCapital.

IbidfarewelltoYuuki,finishingtheformalitiesinoneday,andIwastoldtogotothedormitorytomorrow.Thetalkimmediatelyended,therewerenoproblemseitherandthusthemovetothedormitoryfinished.Well,thoughIexperiencetheRoyalCapitalInnserviceonlyfor1night,theservicetherewasquitesatisfying.Thetwoincludedmealsaredelicious.Asexpected,theseasoningisalsousedabundantly.EventhoughttheInnthatIresidedatischeap,theyalsoprovidealargepublicbath.Andit’swonderfultoo.Inthecountry,it’sseldomtoseealocalInnwithBathservice.However,ifyouwanttostayfor3months,livinginthedormitoryismoreconvenient.Thusthemovetothedormitoryisimmediatelyfinished.EvenifIregretnothing,4silvercoinsadayisquitehigh.Thesalaryof10Silvercoinswillbegivenontheworkingdays,therewon’tbeanyonholiday.ThoughitwasexpectedfortheRoyalCapitaltohavehighlivingexpense,thereisnoproblemtosavemoney.Butworkisfortomorrow,todayisforvisitingthelibrary.

ThereisarestrictiontoentertheroomwithMagicBooks.ButwhenIpresenttheAdventureridentificationcard,Icanentertheroomwithoutanyproblems.TheyseemtokeepwhattheyhadpromisedtomewhenItakeuptheteacherjob.EventhoughtheLibraryislocatedintheRoyalCapital,itisnottheRoyalLibrary.TheRoyalLibraryislocatedinsidetheCastle.AsthoseareinRoyalfamilypossession,onlyCourtMagiciancanaccessit.IneverycountrythelibraryseemstoholdtheCountry’ssecretmagic,soitwasdifficultforaforeignertovisitit.Butitdoesn’tmeanthatthisLibraryworthislow.Theyarenot.TheLibrary,whereIstandnow,exhibitedthesecretartsthattheadventurershadcollected.TheAncientMagicthattheFreedomAssociationadventurersfoundisalsocollectedatthisplace.　

Itcanbesaid,thatitispossiblethatthisLibraryhadaworththatisequaltotheothercountriesRoyalLibrary.It’swonderful.ComingtothisRoyalCapitalearlylikethisislikebeingblessedwithgoodfortune.EventhoughthisisafavorfromYuuki,surelyit’smainlybecauseofmygoodbehavior.

Iimmediatelycheckthemagicbooks.Ifyoureaditstraight,thebooksamountissuchthatitseemstobeimpossibletoreadalloftheminsomeone’slifetime.Toeveryoneintheworldwhostudiesdiligently,ForgiveMe!Afterapologizinginmyheart,Ireaditquicklywith『GreatSage』.Forsomeonenearbywhoseesme,itseemstothemthatIonlytakeabookinmyhandforawhileandthenreturnthemtotheshelves.Actually,justbyholdingitinmyhand,thebookgoesinsidemybody.So!Icopyitcompletely.Simultaneousutilizationof『GreatSage』and『Gluttony』abilities,highspeedcopyofthemagicbooksthatIholdinmyhands.Iampostponingcheckingthecontentofthebookforalatertime.Unfortunately,itisnotpossibletobeabletousemagicjustbycopyingthebooks.But,takingandcopyingit,I’mabletomaketheindexofthemagicbooksIwant.Afterthis,it’snecessaryformetostudyitonebyone.Forthatreason,Itookandcopiedthebooksoneafteranotherwithoutseeingthetitle.Evenwiththecopyingspeed,it’stakingawholeday,I’monlyabletotakeatenthportionofallthebookshere.Itseemsfornowon,I’mgoingtocometotheLibraryfrequentlyinmybreaktimeanddayoff.Thus,mydayoffpassed.However,therewasnoregret.Formygoaltolearnmagic,it’sjustatrivialthingtodo.

-----------------------------

Well,it’sthefirstdayofthejob.Stillthisisabitdifficultjob,Iunderstoodthatafterexperiencingitatthefirstdaytakingtheposition.Ratherthanateacher,IbecameanInstructor.Becausethereisn’tanyonecapabletofillthevacantpositionShizu-sanleft.Myjobistobecomethesubstitution.Yuuki’sjobsarenotonlyastheLeaderofFreedomAssociation(GrandMaster),butalsotomanagetheFreedomAcademyasitsExecutiveDirector.HewastheChairmantoo.Thepersoninquestionsaysthatit’sjustahonoraryposition,butit’sstillanimportantposition.Aftercomingtothisworldfor10years,hedevelopstheFreedomAssociation,runninganacademy.Inonesense,heistherepresentativeofalltheadventurers.Thisacademyhadalsoreferredasaninstitutiontonurturetheassociation’smember.Moreover,eachclassisseparatejustlikeintheAssociation,

Thus,theyaredividedjustlikehowtheAssociation.However,theteachingissharedbetweenmultipleclasses.(ED:Gurooutrightdidn’ttranslatethisline.Yep,thislineishard.Tlcplz.)TL:Sorrymustslipmymindonthisline!Tehee:p)ThepositionItakeisthevacanthomeroomteacherofthespecialclass.Alias,Sclass.Butit’sseemtheclass’smemberisstillattheageofelementarygradestudent.Itsaystheformerhomeroomteacheristhe“DemonTeacher”,IzawaShizue.It’sShizu-san!She’stheherowhosenicknameis”ExplosiveMonarch”.Sotheteacherssucceedingherpaleincomparisontoher.Thepreviousteachers,duetothesevereinteractionwiththestudents,theyarealldefeated,Iheartheyimmediatelyrunawayfromtheacademy.(ED:Yep,thislineiskindofweird)WhenIwasgivingmygreetingsinthestaffroom,Iwastoldthatbytheotherteachers.

[No,evenforsomeonewholookslikeachild,Ithinkyoustillhadtrouble

withthoseproblemchildren.....EvenifyouareaBrankadventurer......Well,youhadrecommendationfromthechairman,pleasequicklyreportifitseemsimpossibleforyou.]

Theprincipalworriestoomuch.Theyarejustkids!Hahaha.OrsowhatIthink.......

[Chee~~se!Fromthisday,yoursnewhomeroomteacheris....,]

IntheplaceIstoodandgreetingthemfriendly,aflamingswordflyingtowardsme.Ibecomepanickedandmanagedtoavoidit

[Ken-chan,Cool~~~!!!][Isthat,aspecialmove?Youperfectedit!?][However,it’sstilllacking.Itshouldnotbeeasilyavoided!]

Noisychildren.IwillendupsplitandcharredblackifIdidn’tavoidit.

Ey,calmdownwillya.Theclass’llbedestroy’difyawenttarampage!

IretortinpseudoKansaiben.Ialreadywanttogonehome.Thisplaceisanotherworld,ifateacherexhibitviolencewillitbeconsideredacorporalpunishment?Infrontofmeare5humanchildren.Thisisagatheringofproblemchildren.Alias,Sclass.AspecialclassthatiscomposedonlybyWorldTravelers.Yuukishelteredthechildrenfromeverycorneroftheworld.Theyarestillkidofelementarygradestudent,buttheirabilitiesisterrifyinghigh.Honestly,heistoyingwithme.

Ithoughttheyweredocile,Buttowardsmetheyarestaringwiththeireyesfullwithhostility.Forthreemonthsafterthis,canItakecareoftheseguys.....?Thedepressingfeelingfromalongtimeagoiscomingback.

Chapter58-TheSummoned~thosewhoarecalledheroes~

Thechildrendirectedahostilegazeatme.Filledwithpurehatred.Itmademefeelreallyoutofplace.Whatintheworldcouldcausethemtoharborsomuchhostilitytowardsanewinstructor?Fivechildren.

MisakiKenya:Male,8yearsoldSekiguchiRyouta:Male,8yearsoldGaleGibson:Male,9yearsoldAliceRondo:Female,7yearsoldChloeO’Bell:Female,8yearsold

Noneofthemareolderthan10.IlookthemoverwhileconfirmingthenotesIpickedupinthestaffroom.They’vebeenpickedupfromallovertheworld.Eachonewascalledamonster.Eachcountryhasrequestedasubjugationforthem,buttheadventurerstookcustodyoftheminstead.That’swhatthedocumentssaid,butsomethingisbotheringme.Whyaretheiragessosimilar?And,they’veallbeenpickedupinvariouscircumstancesfromcountriessurroundingtheJuraForest?Moreover,withinthreeyearsofeachother?Theremightbesomethinggoingon.TheyseemtohavegrownveryattachedtoShizu-san.Otherthanher,theyonlylistentoYuuki’swords.Well,unlessyouseethemforyourselfyouwouldn’tknowhowmischievousthisbunchreallyis.

「Yo,what’swiththesuddenaggression,brats!I(Ore-sama)willbeyourinstructorfromnowon;thename’sRimuru.I’mnotasniceasShizu-san,soprepareyourselves!」

Ithoughttostartwithagreeting,but…

「Shutup!Youwon’tdeceiveus!」「Right,right!Evenifwelisten,you’lljustkillusanyways!」「WhatdidyoudowithShizu-san!Didyoukillhertoo?!」「Yeah,wewon’ttrustanadult!」「You’lljustdisposeofus,sayingthatwe’regoodfornothing,right?」

Hmm?What’swiththeirresponse?Thisisnotatthelevelofclassroomdisruption.Theyarenotjustbratty–that’srealkillingintentrightthere.Imean,howdidtheyeventhinkthatwe’retryingtokillthem,orthatwekilledShizusan?There’ssomethingelseatworkhere.Thatday,wecouldn’tcontinuethelesson.Idon’tknowtheircircumstances,soIcan’tjustforcemywillonthem.So,thatdayendedwithjustagreeting.

「K-Ken-chan…areyouokay?」「Stayaway!Thatmaskwearinginstructor…whatthehellwasthat!」「Hey!Calmdown,calmdown,okay!!!」

Icouldhearthemmakingnoisebeyondthedoor,butIpaiditnomind.Ionlyallowedanothermembertointroducethemselves.Ranga,Imean.He’sprobablyobservingtheclassinsteadofme.Howpleasant.Butthekidswhoclearlylackthewilltosolvetheproblemshehandedout,seemkeenonplayingaround.Sothefactthattoday’slessonbecameSelf-StudyissomethingIcouldnothaveprevented.So,leavingtheresttoRanga,IdecidedtovisitYuuki.

InsidetheFreedomAssociationChief’sroom.YuukiandIareholdingadiscussionwhilesittingonthesofa.Apleasantaromadriftsfromcupofteabeforeus.Icontinuetheconversation.

「So….pleasetellmethekids’circumstances.」

Igetstraighttothepoint.Yuukilookedmestraightintheeye,andafterthinkingforabit,

「Rimuru-san,letmeaskyouaquestion…HowmuchdoyouknowabutSakaguchiHinata?」

What’sthatabout?DidsomethinghappenbetweenHinataandthekids?

「Notmuch.She’safellowJapanese.Andthatsheremembersthingsquickly–soShizu-sansaid…」

Hmph,henoddedinresponse,

「Inthatcase,howaboutthedifferencebetween“Summoned”and“WorldTravelers”?」

Nowthathementionsit,Idon’tknowmuchaboutthemeither.Theyareguaranteedtopossessauniqueskill.And,thesummoningsuccessrateislow.Also,theyhaveacursecarvedintotheirsouls.Itoldhimthatmuch.

「Yes.Thatmatcheseverythingthatwehavelearnedaboutthem.Youknowalot,don’tyou…Anyways.Summoningrequiresverydefinitecircumstancestobepreparedastoallowyoutosummonapersonwithpowerfulabilities.Someonewhosewillisespeciallystrong.Nowthen,whataboutsummoningconductedunderincompleteconditions?」

Yuuki’sfollowingexplanationmademefeelsick.Thesuccessratewiththirtymagicianschantingsummoningmagicovertheperiodofthreedaysisalessthan0.03%.Moreover,amagicianwhohasusedsummoningmagic,cannotuseitduringasetinterval.Therestperiodrangesfrom33to88years.Usually,thetimeisusedtopreparetheenvironmenttobetterthechancesofthesummoning.

Now,whatwouldhappenifyouignoredtheserules?Ifyoudo,therearelessrequirementstoconductthesummoningandyoucancontinuouslysummon.AccordingtowhatYuukisaid,summoningconductedthususuallyresultsinchildrenbeingsummoned.Childrenwithstrongsoulsorabundantmagicareforcedoverhere.Withoutbeinggrantedtheabilitybefittingthem…Withoutauniqueskill,theabundantmagicalenergycausestheirbodiestoimplode.Theyarefriedalivebythepowerstheypossess.

「Eh?Waitaminute,thenarethosekids?」「….Atthemoment,therecordisthreeyears..Thatisthelifespanofthoseimproperlysummoned.And,thosekidshavebeensummonedlikethat…Failingtobecomeheroes.」「Wha…Huh?Heroes?Whywould…WeretheyforcedintothisbySakaguchiHinata?」

Yuukidoesnotanswer.However,hissilenceonlyconfirmsmysuspicions.

「Thechurchisseekinganewhope,anewpower.Thewishofallhumans–light.Humanity’smessiah,the“Hero”!Ihavesecretlyinvestigatedmanyfacilitiesandbrokethechildrenout…」「What…thehell…」「Ihavenotfoundawaytopreventtheirdeaths.Childrenundertheageoftenarenoexception–iftheydonotpossessauniqueskill,theywillsurelydie…」「Aren’tthesummonersbotheredbytheloss?Aren’tthese“failures”dissuadingthemorsomething?」「Theycalmlysummonmoreandmore.Sincetheycanjustcontinuedoingso,theydon’tcare.That’sprobablywhattheyarethinking…」「Areyoukiddingme?Whyhaveyouallowedthechurchtocontinueexisting?」「Thechurch…theWesternSaint’sChurchifinfluential.SurroundingtheJuraForest,otherthantheHereticCountrySarion,every

countryisadevoutfollowerofthechurch.Doyouunderstand?That’snotapowerwecandefeatevenwiththeGovernment’ssupport.There’salsobelieversamongmyassociates.Ifwemakethechurchourenemy,theAssociationwouldfightwithitself!」

Yuukisaid,hisexpressionpainedandpowerless.NorcouldIaddanything.Tothinkthatthoselivelykidswill…Andthat’swhytheymetmewithhostilityandhatred.

「Hey.Whydidyouhavememeetthekids?Whydidyoutellmeallthis?」「…Why,indeed?MaybeIwantedtoseeifyoucouldcomeupwithawaytosavethem.Idon’thaveanyoneintheworldIcouldrelyupon.I’vealreadylostShizu-san.Ifyouhadn’tnoticed,Iwouldn’thavetoldyouanything.Sowhydidyounotice?」

Damnit.IfIhadn’tnoticed,Icouldhavesentthemontheirwaymerrily.NowthatIhave,howcanIbemerry?Whatabadjoke…

「Isn’titdangeroustohavetheschoolsoclosetoachurch?」「Fufu.Onthecontrary,it’sthesafestplace.You’veheardtheexpression:it’sdarkestunderthelamppost?So,whatwillyoudo?Willyouquit?」

IlookedYuukistraightintheeye.Andloudlydeclared,

「Iwillnotquit,andwillproceedasIwishfromnowon.Anycomplaints?」

Yuukinodded.And,

「Ileavethemtoyou.Ifyoucan,pleasesavethosechildren…!」

Hesaid,loweringhishead.Noneedtotellme.That’sanothertaskShizu-sanhadleftbehind.I’llseeitthrough.And,chancesare,thiswholeconversationwasplannedbyShizu-sanaheadoftime.Justastraythought.

IleavetheFreedomAssociationbuildingandreturntotheclassroom.Now,now.Can’tgreetthemwithagloomyface.I’lldowhatIcan.That’sallI’vebeendoingthusfar.Shizu-sandependedonme,Yuukiaskedthisofme,allIcandoistoanswertheirhopes.

＊　＊　＊

ThatwastheworstdayinhistoryfortheBeastKingdomYuurazia.

DemonLordKarionnervouslylookedintotheskiesabove.Ahugelumpofmagicalenergywasrapidlyapproaching.Withouteventryingtohideheraura–DemonLordMilim.(Hey,hey,isthisforreal…)She’sclearlyintentonfightingandaimingforthiscountry.AfightwithaseriousMilimNava.Iguessthiscouldalsobecalledanopportunity.Kariondidnotbelievehimselftobesuperior;infact,hethoughMilimtobestronger.However.(It’smorefunwinningagainstastrongeropponent!)Hisbloodboiledandhisheartbeathappily.Thestrongest,DemonLordMilim.AseniorDemonLord,unlikeherappearance,shedeservestheawe.HecouldfacethatDemonLord.Tosayhewasexcitedwouldbeanunderstatement.Hehadonceaskedhisparentswhenhewasbutachild.AboutthetyrannyoftheDragonPrincess.WasthatfairytalebasedonMilimorsomeothermodel?Thisiswhathisparentssaid.

Adragonprincess’sangercaneraseacountry!Neverfightagainstadragonprincess!

Whatrubbish.ThoughthemilitaryoftheBeastKingdomYuuzariaisnotparticularlylarge,halfofitspopulationbelongtoawarriorrace.Bynomeansinferiortoanyothercountry.Moreover,hehimselfhadevolvedintoaDemonLord.Therewasnoonehehadtofear!Heheadedtothesacredmountainbehindthecastle;and,whilepreparinghimself,heplannedtoambushMilimthere.Hisfollowers–devilsandretainers,kneltbeforehim,waitingforinstructions.

「Listen!Weonlyhaveonefoe.DemonLordMilimNava!Againstademonlord,ifyoudevilsfighttogether,youcanputupaproperfight.ButIwillgomyself!Asforyou,erectabarrierandprotectthepeople!Believeme,Ishallwin!!!」

「「「Ay!!!」」」

Hearingtheirbattlecry,hecouldfeeltheirexcitement.Today,hehadthechancetoprovehimselfthestrongest!(Ididn’thateherpersonality.Wecouldhavebecomegoodfriends…whatashame!)Atthispoint,herreasonsdidnotmatter.Forhim,onlythefightmattered.Notthathisprudencewouldhavechangedtheoutcomeintheslightest…

Slowly,herosetotheskiesusing〈FlightMagic〉.ReachingMilim,hebeganthefightwithoutaword.First,aquicktest.Punchherwithallhispower.However,herbodycoveredinmanydefensivebarriers,theattackdidnotreachher.HesummonedtheHyakko-seiryuulance,andfelthisstrengthgrowexponentially.Lettingoutasmallbreath,hecombinedhisfightingspiritwithhisaura.

AndreleasedanonslaughtofslashesatMilim.EachslashwasfollowedbyanairbulletwhichviolentlyassaultedMilim.However…Thoughthebulletshavebrokenthroughanumberofbarriers,theywereunabletohurtherbody.Moreover,eachoftheslasheswascaughtbyherdemonsword“EvilGod”.Itdidn’tsuitheratall,thatlong,curved,single-edgedblade.Theswordwasdyedinapalebluelight.Howmanydemonlordshasthisfamousswordslain?Tch!KariondistancedhimselffromMilimandregainedhisposture.Hehadnotlookeddownonheratall,butshefarsurpassedhisexpectations.Hehadnotusedeveryounceofhispower,butMilimalsoseemedbottomless.Norwassheanopponenthecouldfightconflicted.Hedecidedtogoallout.Unfortunately,sheseemedbarelyunconscious,asifshewasbeingcontrolledbysomeone.That,however,didn’tmattertoKarion.(Ihadwantedtofighttherealyou,notsomepuppet!But,evenso,Iwillnotlose!)Heunleashedhisabilities.Beganassumingfirsthisdevil,thenhisdemonlordform.Heis,afterall,knownastheBeastKing,alionlycanthrope.Thus,hebegantransforming.Intoabeastdevil.Andthushistrueform,DemonLord“LionKing”Karion,hadappeared.Coveredinasilverfur,hismusclesbulged.OnhislionheadaVermillionBirdcrownshonebright.AndthatbodywascladinBlackTortoisearmor.Theneighboringcountriesallspecializedinwarfare.So,forthesakeoffightingforthedominanceoftheskies,largeeagle-likewingswereattachedtohisback.SeeingthatappearanceasmalllightbrieflyflashedinMilim’seyes,andKarionhadnotmissedit.Ormaybehehadonlyimaginedit.

「Now,then,Milim.It’sashame,butnowthatyouhaveseenthis

appearance,I’llhaveyoupermanentlydisappear,okay?It’sashame,butgoodbye!!!」

Hescreamed,andconcentratedallhisfightingspiritintotheHyakko-seiryuulance.Iftheyhadbeenontheground,theearthwouldsplitfromtheforceofhispowerandhissurroundingswouldgrindintodust.Notthattheairremainedunaffected.Theenergyhehademittedsettheairitselfonfire.

Beastroar!!!

Thisroarreleasesone’smagicalenergyattheopponent.Allhisenergywasfocusedonthetipofthelance,yetitremainedundamaged.Hadhefireditontheground,everythinginthedirectionoftheattackwouldbeinadvertentlyerased;itis“BeastKing”Karion’ssure-killtechnique.Normally,itspowerwouldnotwaneintheslightestforthefirst100meters.And,theactualrangeoftheattackcouldgowellpast2kilometers.Thus,thelongrangemakesthisaskillthatisbestusedagainstmultipleopponents,butitcanberegulatedtobeconcentratedonasingleone.ThiswouldbethefirsttimehewilluseBeastRoaragainstasingleopponent,buthecouldhardlyimagineanyonebeingabletowithstandit.Hewillgoallout.Magicalenergyrapidlyescapedhisbody.Hecouldhardlysustaintheflightmagic.However,thatwasasmallpricetopayforthisattack.Normally,he’dhavetouseittwoorthreetimestobecomethistired;but,todayhecouldn’tbesoreserved.Hisopponentwascoveredinmanyhighlevelbarriers.Takingadeep,andwhilefallingtowardstheground,

*Zuzzzza!!!*

Hedodgedthereturnfire.Bloodtrickleddownfromhisback,butheclosedthewoundwithspiritalone.

Helookedupather.However,hedidn’twanttoseeher,norbelievethatsuchathingcouldbepossible.Abeingwhohassofarexceededhisexpectations.Dragonwingsspreadwide,herblondhairflutteredinthewind.And,thoughitwasnottherebefore,abeautifulcrimsonhornnowadornedherforehead.HerlightGothicdresshaschangedintojetblackarmor(Ah…sothiswouldbeherrealbattleattire,huh…)ThoughKarionwasnowexhausted,hisopponentwasunhurt.“Whatajoke.Cutmesomeslack.”Hewasnowexperiencingabizarrefeeling–wantingtocryandlaughatthesametime.

「Welldone!Thatwasfun!Asthanks,I’llshowyouthis!!!」

Milimspokeforthefirsttime.However,itwasamonotonevoicedevoidofherpersonality.Karionnonethelessfeltimpendingdoomfromherwords.“Idon’twantyoutoshowmeanything!”Hescreamedinhisheart.Usingthoughttransmissionheconveyedanordertohissubordinates.Oneword:run!!!And,withtheremainedofhisstrength,heranasfastashecould.Hefeltitdeepinhisbones:ifhestayed,hewoulddie.

Thedragon’spupilsdilated,andshestretchedherwings.Milimroared!

DragonNova!!!

Itsbrightnesseasilysurpassedthatofthestars.Thebrightpelletsthatrainedupontheeartherasednotjustthecastle,butthemountainbehindit.Thesoundofdestructionfarsurpassedtheaudiblerangeofone’sears,sotheshockwaveheraldeditinstead.Thosetouchedbythelightdisappearedwithoutbeingabletoofferanyresistance.Thestrongestmagic.

AndoneofthereasonsthatMilimhasforsolongreignedsupreme.

Impossible…Luckily,Karionwasabletoescapereceivingadirecthit,sohesurvived.ButthatisMilim.Ademonlordyoushouldneverfightagainst.Nicknamed“Destruction”itself.Now,Karionagreedwithhisparents’words.Youcan’tfightagainstthat.It’sdimensiondifferentfromeveryoneelse.However…

「But,she…」「She..?Ara?Whatcouldpossiblybewrong?Wouldyouenlightenme?」

Hefeltabladepressagainsthisneck.Andthepresenceofasinglewoman.Thesupremeruleroftheskies–SkyQueenFrey.

「Tch.Frey,youtoo?」「Ara?Whataboutme?You’llhavelotsoftimetotellme…」

Andso,Karionconsciousnessfadedintodarkness…

Chapter59-TheChurchMoved

TheDevilGruciuswaspatrollingaroundtheforestwhenasuddenincomingtelepathiccommunicationconfusedhim.

「Hm?Issomethingwrong?」

Severalofhisteammatesfromthefrontiergarrisonwhowereworriedabouthimaskedhimsimultaneously.Thesegood-heartedfellows,notdoubtingthatI’madevil.Unawareaboutithimself,Gruciusseestheillusionofrealcompanionsinthem.

「Nothing,I’mfine」

Irepliedthus,andtheywererelieved.Nothing’swrongwhatsoever,that’soutrageous.Iamnowreceivingthecontentsofthetelepathiccommunication.(Grucius!It’sanemergency.Whenthetimecomes,actinaccordancetoyourjudgement!Wearecurrentlyatwar.I’llcontactyouagainwhenwewin.Untilthen,you’refree!)There’snodoubt,something’shappening.ThisisthefirsttimeI’veheardpanicindemonKarion’svoice.Justwhoishisopponent?ItwasirritatingandIcan’tthinkofanything.WhatshouldIdo?Hetoldmetomakemyowndecisions,butIcan’tthinkofanymeasures.AfterthatItriedtotelepathicallycommunicatejustincase,butnothingcameoutofit.|Grucius’sheartwasgraduallyfilledwithanxietywhilepayingattentioninordertopreventhisteammatesfromrealizinghisunrest.

＊　＊　＊

ThefaceofdemonlordClaymanwasfilledjoyafterreceivingthereport.KarionwastheonewhotriedtopersuadeMilim,butitsomehowendedupasabattle.

That’sgood.Indeed,therearefewdemonlordsthatwillstillbemercifulafterbeingannoyed.Accordingtothereport,MilimtriumphedoverKarionwithoverwhelmingcombatprowess,andevenblewawaytheroyalcastle,Morotomo.RapporteurFreysaidsowhileelegantlydrinkingtea.TheotherdevilsapartfromFrey,whowerespies,allreportedthesamething.There’snodoubt.DemonlordKarionisdead.EvenastrongdemonlordsuchasKarionwasnoproblemifyouhave“Absolutepower”(MilimNava)inyourhands.The10greatdemonlordswhoruledoverMakai.Amongthem,3individualsincludingmyselfgroupedas1,now,1memberhasdisappeared.Moreover,tohavetriedtothreatentheabsolutestrongest,thelastmomentsofthedemonlordKarionwillbegoodpublicity.

「Kukuku,everythingisgoingonsmoothly,justasplanned.」「Ara?Isthatso?IamgladthatIwasofuse.」

Freystoodupandgavewordsofagreementwithouthavingulteriormotives.

「I’llbegoingback,butwhataboutMilim?Fromthelooksofthebattle,anydeviltryingtosettlethematterwillberippedtoshreds?」

Tsk.Withafrownonherface,FreylookedatClayman.

「Itwillprobablybefineforyoutotakecareofit.Afterall,youandherarefriendsright?Ientrustittoyou,pleaseacceptit.Ifmycastleisdestroyed,Iwouldn’tbeabletobearit.」

Hearingsuchwords,Freygoes「Yare,yare」whileshakingherhead.

「EventhoughIdon’twantmyhousetobedestroyed?Well,it’suselessnomatterwhatIsayright?」「It’sgreatyouunderstand.Youmaygo!」

Thatattitudeshowsthathedoesn’teventreatFreyasanequalanymore,butratherasubordinateunderhisrule.Freydidn’tshowanysignsofdiscomfortinherexpression,shesentapiercinggazeatClaymanandleft.

AsmileappearedonClayman’sfaceaftermakingsurethatFreyleft.Everythingisgoingwell.Everythingisgoingaccordingtotheplanof“thatperson”.Unlikeaprophecy,thingsdon’talwaysgoaspredicted,butprogressissmoothlymade.Intheoriginalplan,theOrclordwasdesignatedasthenewdemonlord.Thereasonforbackingthisplanwasinordertomanipulatethesaiddemonlord.Sinceourinterestmet,webothdecidedtoworktogether.Eveniftheplanfails,therearenolosses.Butthen,asuspiciousmonsterappeared,anditcreatedamonstertown.Assoonasthiswasknown,theplanwasmodifiedtoutilizethetown.Touseourcommoninterestasbait,usingthemonstersinthattownasbait.Thebaitwasbit,andluckilytheonewhobititwasthestrongestdemonlord.Claymanstartedhisplan,first,byinterceptingamulti-layeredbarrier.Then,asusual,hecarriesouthisperiodicreport.Atrustworthypartner.Hehasswornhisallegiancetothetruemaster……

＊　＊　＊

EversinceMyulanjoinedtheFrontierGarrison,everydaywasanextremelybusyday.Justbecauseshetookupthedutyofashaman,doesn’tmeanshe’dbeanylessbusy.Sometimesanindividualcuriousaboutthedarkartswouldcomealong,andshewouldteachthem.Iftheyweresimplecurses,shecouldteachthem.Beforeshebecameadevilshewasoriginallyawitch.Teachingcursesusedbyhumansisasimpletask.Whatshewasbusywithwasasastaffofficer,anotheroneofherpositions.Inthefirstplace,askinganewcomertotakeupthepositionasthestaff

officerisnotagoodidea…(Toputtrustinadevil,thesepeopleareoverlygood-natured!)That’sprobablytheimpressionshehadifsheweretoputitinwords.Givingcommandsfortheplatoontomeetupinthemonster ’scity,andreportingtothecaptain.She’sbeenhandlingallthat.Tothinkofherasirresponsibleisvirtuallyimpossible.Evenso,inthemidstofallthediscomfort,therewerealsoalotofthoughts.Afterinteractingwithpeopleforawhile,long-forgottenfeelingsstartedtoresurface.And,

「Myulan,isitfine?Pleasetellmeyourresponsesoon!」

Saidbyamancourtingher,shelookedbackatYoumu.Fromthestart,IfelthisgazewhenIinfiltratedtheFrontiergarrison.Iwasonalertwhetherwewerediscovered,butGruciussaidhedidn’tfellanything.Whatishappening?WhenIwasthinkingaboutthat,Youmugazedoverhere.Whenoureyesmet,helookedawayinembarrassment.Butrecently,notonlyhisattitudebutevenhiswordscontainhintsofcourtship.Hesaid,

「Iloveyou.Pleasedateme!Youwilldefinitelybehappy,Ipromise!」ED:That’snotahintXD

Hethrewastraightball.Eventhoughheusuallyhasafrivolousattitude,hewasactuallyserious.Hehasn’tmadeanymovesuntilnow.ThetimeswhenIwasjustayounggirl,whichwouldhavebeen700yearsago.Ican’tremembermuchfrombackthen,Idon’thaveanymemoriesofinteractingwithotherpeople.Tobehonest,theexperiencecalledloveissomethingthatgirlhasnoexperiencewithwhatsoever.Therewasmorejoythananxiety.Moreover…

(Hesaidhepromiseshappiness…

EventhoughmyheartisheldinthehandsofClayman.Ican’t,Noitcan’t!Besides……Howcouldahumanfallinlovewithme?)

Intheend,shepostponedthereply.Irefuse!Herreasonstellherso,butforsomereasonshecouldn’tmusterthecouragetosayit.She’sbeenadevilfor400years,butthisisthefirsttimeshefeltsuchinsecurity.Insuchastate,MyulanwascontactedbyClayman.

ForthedevilMyulan,Claymanisn’tthetargetofherloyalty.Ifit’spossibleshewouldn’thesitatetopulloffadirtytrick.However,againstthatslydemonlord,suchachancewillprobablyneverappear.Thelasttimeshereported,sherememebedthatClaymanwasinastrangelygoodmood,andfeltuncomfortable.Heprobablycameupwithsomethingdevious,shethought.Unfortunately,shehasnocountermeasures.It’snotsomethingshecanopenlygoupagainst.Evenifsomeoneisfeelingunhappy,thereisnowayforthemtosavethemselves.Havingunpleasantfeelingsaboutthisisnatural.Andsuddenlyshereceivedcontact.

(Youappearhealthy.Thankstotheinformationyoubought,everythingisgoingsmoothlyhere.Goodjob.EventhoughIhavebeenkeepingyourheartforyou,IthinkImightreturnitsoon.)

Asuddenoffer.Myulansuddenlyfeltexhilarated.Butpanickingwouldn’tdo.HeropponentisaDemonlord.Toeventrickthoseworkingunderhimwithoutshame,heiscertainlythewickedMarionetteMaster.

(Wow!Thankyouverymuch!)

Thatwouldbethesafeanswer.

(There’snoneedforyoutobecautious.What?IjusthaveonelastthingIwantyoutodo.Untilthen,keepenjoyingyourleisurelylife.Nowthen,see

ya)

Shewasspokentowithoutbeingabletoreply,andtheconnectionwascut.Isthisatrap?There’snowaytoconfirmit.Doingwhatshehasdonesofar,shesimplyfollowedorders.However,ifIreallywasreleased……

(IwonderwouldIhaveacceptedhim?)

Withauneasyfeelinginherchest,Myulanresumedandactedasifnothinghashappened.

＊　＊　＊

SakaguchiHinataawakenedfromherlightnapinasleepystate.Diligentlyservingher,Nicolashadbroughtheracupofcoffee.

「Oh,haveyouawakened?」

CardinalNicolasSpertus.Heisthemanwhositsatthepinnacleofthewesternreligion,thesacred,inviolable,confidantpopeoftheholykingdomRuberios.ToHinata,thatmanisasfaithfulasatamedpuppy.Theysharedabedyesterday,andevenallowedhimtobehercompanionovernight.Withoutgettingtired,shelookedathimwholickedherbodyclean.TNNote:…that’swhatthetranslationsaresaying…It’sturningintoaneronovel.(Really,justlikeadog…)ThatwaswhatHinatathough.HeworshipsHinata,asifshewasagoddessorasaint.Anidioticman,Hinatathough.(EvenIwouldexcreteafterIeat.Afterayear,it’snaturalformetoage.It’snotlikemybodywouldremainbeautifulforever.Allthismanislookingatisamerefantasy)Hedesiresherbody.It’scheap.EventhoughIdon’tthinkthisbodyisworththatmuch,hecandowhateverhewantswithit.Toher,herbodyismerelyameanofwinningsomebodyother.Thereare

noothervalues.Ofcourse,thatgirlalsohascarnaldesires.She’snotsexuallyfrigid.Evenso,whatthen?OnlyafewmanIlikeisallowedtodoastheywishtomybody.However,menIhatewillnotbeforgiveniftheydothesame.Thatmeans,(Intheend,Idon’tdislikeNicolas,isthatit?)Therealityisthatpeoplearoundhercan’tunderstandher.

「Now,breakfastisready.Whatwouldyouliketoeat?」

Sweetsweresuddenlybroughtfourth.Nicolas,preparingandcarryingoutbreakfastforsomeoneelse,thatissomethingnobodycouldpossiblyimagine.BecauseanybodywhoknewNicolaswoulddescribehimhasanarrogantegotistical,cold-bloodedmanwiththemaskofasaint.

「Ah,Igotit.Thankyou」

WhenHinatacallsoutcasually,Nicolasnodshisheadwithglee.Andthetwohadbreakfast.Afteralongtime,themealtasteddelicious.

「Ohyes.Ihadsomethingtoreporttoyou,thisissomethingaspybroughtearlier.」

Afterfinishingtheirmealandbeingrelaxed,NicolastalkedtoHinata.Itcan’tbehelpedifhewanttogainherfavor.Hinata,whilecombingherprizedblackhairleftandrightwithhercomb,staredatNicolas.Pickinguphercircularglassesoffthetableandputtingthemon,

「Let’shearit.」

Sheaskedbriefly.Insidethereisthebeautyamongstbeautieswhoheldwasthecaptainofthe“Knightsguarddivisionworkingdirectlyunderthepope”.Onhertheusualcalm,coldexpression.

Thetimetorelaxhascometoanend.

Nicolasbegansharinghisinformation.AbouttheturbulenceofthemonsterswithintheGreatJuraforest,andthemonstersbuildingatown.Inaddition,certaincountrieshadalreadystartedtradingwiththemonsters,thatwaswhatinformationwereshared.

「Whatdidyousay?Thesemonstersoverturnedthechurches’religiousbeliefthatmonstersarecommonenemiesofmankind……」

Hinatamutters,towhichNicolasnods.

「That’sright,whatwillyoudo?」「Fumu…That’sright…」

Hinataisindeepthough.Crushingthemiseasy.However,itishumannaturetoleavethemaloneiftherearenoproblems.Attheveryleast,aslongastheyarecrushedbeforetheymakecontactwithhumans,everythingwillbeover.

「Wecanonlywaitandseenow.However,investigatethewarpotentialofthattown,andensurethisisaforcewecancrush!Asthechurch,wecannotmoveunlessthereisarequestfromsomewhere.Well,ifnothingturnsupwecansimplyforceoneout…」

TNNote:I’vealreadylostcounthowmanyfantasynovelshaveahumansupremacyreligionastheirmainantagonist…

Thusaconclusionwasmade.Afterhearingthisremark,Nicolasnodded.

「Letsomeonecheckitout!We’llmobilizethe“BloodShadow”ofthechurch!」

TheBloodShadowisafallenknight.Withhighcombatprowess,hewasaserialkillerwhomurderedcommoners.

Togod,thechurchandpope,thereareanumberofextremistwhoswornallegiance.However,hisabilitiesaretop-notch,notsomeonethechurchcouldjustsimplydisposedof.ToHinatawhohadastrongsenseofdisgust,theheadisafunnyexistence.FortherationalistHinata,god’sblindacceptancewasasymbolofstupidity.ItwasironicconsideringHinata’spositionasGod’sguardianofjustice.

「Isthatso?Then,I’mleavingittoyou.It’sbestifyoudon’tforgetaboutthechurch’sdiscipline.」

Thisisn’tthestagetotakeaction.Ileavetheinformationgatheringtoyou.Besides,theremightbesomethingtogainfromthis.That’swhatshedecided.

Asaresult,thebloodthirstymadhoundwasreleased.

Chapter60-Abitsudden,butlet’shaveatest

Theinsideoftheclassroomwassilent.Sosilent,infact,thatyoucanhearthestudentsswallowsaliva.Rangaranuptomewhilewaivinghistail.

「Alright,kids,haveyoubeenworkinghard?」

ThoughIfacedthemwithabrightsmile,theydidnotreturnit.Ofcourse,ifIconsiderthingsfromtheirperspective,itmakesmoresense–theyjustmightthinkofmeasjustsomebastardtokill.However,thisworldfollowsthesurvivalofthefittestprinciple.There’sonlyonethingyoucanhate–yourownweakness.

「Okay!Kids,youseemtohavethingstosay,solet’shaveatest!」

Isodeclared.

「Wha-!Howdiditturnintothat!」「At-test?」「Ueee!!!」

Theyrespondedwithloudcriticism.Yep.Testsarehatedinjustabouteveryworld.

「Hey,don’tworry!It’snotlikeIdon’tgetwhatyou’resaying.Butlisten,Whatwillhappenfromnowonisabsolutelynecessaryforyou!」「Why?!We’lljustkickthebucketsoonerorlater!There’snopointtostudying,isthere?!」「R-right…alltheteachersuntilnowhavebeenbringingustoysorpicturebookstellingustohavefun…」「Wehaven’tstudiedfromthemomentwehavecomehere…」「I…wanttoread…morepicturebooks…」「…..」

Alltheydoiscomplain.However,theylackyesterday’s“vigor”.DidtheytirethemselvesoutpickingonRanga?Well,Iguessthefactthattheyevenrespondedtomywordsisadmirableenough.But,thisisnecessarytothem.Unfortunately,Icannotcompromiseonthis.

「Alright.Iunderstandyourpoint.But,thetest(game)thatwe’llplayfromnowonewillhelpyoukids…youbratsgettoventsomeanger.Itshouldbefun.Inasecond,youwillhaveamockbattlewithme.Therulesaresimple.Youcangoalloutanduseanythingyouwant.Shouldyoubringmedown,youwin.IfIamstillontherunaftertwentyminutes,Iwin.Simple?」「Justthat?」「Yeah.We’llhavethetestinsidethisroom.I’llerectabarrier,sonoonecangetout.Thoseobservingalsocannothelp.Doyouunderstandtherules?Ifyoudo,thendecidewhogoesfirst!」

Asimplemockbattle.Iamnotplanningonattackingatall.Ijustwanttoverifytheirabilities.Iftheyareincapableofacquiringauniqueskill,Iwouldn’tknowofanothermethodtoconsumetheterriblepowerintheirbodies.Accordingtomyanalysis,theirmagicalenergy,ascomparedtomonsters,wouldhavethemArankedatleast.Thoughadventurersrelyonfightingstrengthtodecidetheirranks,monsterstendtojudgebypoweralone.IwasatfirstsurprisedtoseeBrankadventurerswhosemagicalenergyishardlyCranked.Ionlylearnedofthisafterhavingbecomeanadventurermyself.Normalmonstersdonotconcernthemselveswithskillproficiency,sotheywereusuallyevaluatedbasedonlyonrawabilities.Ofcourse,thereareplentyofmonstersthatdohonetheirskills…Sogenerallyspeaking,thesekidsareAranked.Iftheycanproperlyusetheirabilities,theyshouldbeformidableopponents…

Theyfinallydecidedtheorder.Withaneagerface,MisakiKenyaiscomingatme.He’sjustaneightyearoldtroublemaker.Ishetheleaderofthesebrats?

「Hey!Icanusethesword,right?」

Impudentlittle…!

「Goahead.Andbrat,whenyoulose,I’llhaveyouaddressmepolitelyfromthenon!」「Hmph!Iwon’tlosetoalousyadult.I’veonlylostagainstShizu-san!」「Heeeeh.Howaboutyouleavetheselfpraiseforafteryouwin?」

Thuswewerereadyforthematch.I’llhavethechildrenkeeptime.Iacquiredasandwatchtheotherday,andshowedthekidshowtouseit.Nowthen,shallwestart?

「B-begin!」

KenyamovedonAlice’scommand.Hemoveswellforanelementaryschoolstudent.Actually,he’sdefeatedadultsbefore..Notthatit’llhaveanyeffectonme…

「GoforitKen-chan—!!!」「Don’tlose!」

Hearingtheirencouragement,Kenyaredoubledhisefforts.Hedesperatelytriedtolandahitonme,butIavoidedthemwithroomtospare–withoutaneedtopredict.Aftertenminutes,withtearsinhiseyes,hestartedshootingfireatme.Hmph.Whatapatheticflamethatwas.ItwouldbehardtocompareittotheflameIuse,soI’lljustsaythattheflamewasreallyweak.AnArankmonster,usingallhisstrengthtocreateafireball,caneasilysurpassatemperatureof1,000degrees…ButthisisevenweakerthanEllen’sfireballattack.

InferiortomagicusedbyaBrankadventurer.Hedefinitelylearneditbywatching,sothiswouldbepoorrepresentationofhisrealabilities,right?

「Hey,you’refocusingtoomuchontheflame.Tryshootingoutaballofpureenergy」

「Shutup!Shizu-sanusedthisskill,anditwaspowerful!Iwon’tlistentowhatthelikesofyouhavetosay!!!」

Whatanarrogantbrat.Intheend,heignoredmyadvice,and,whenthetwentiethminutepassed,Iwasdeclaredthevictor.

「Alright,that’senough!Addressmeproperlyassenseifromnowon!Who’snext?Comeatme!!!」

Droppinghisshoulders,andvisiblydepressed,Kenyarejoinedthekids.Well,I’dbeinforashockifIhadlosttoabratwhohadn’teventurnedten.

NextoneupwasChloeO’Bell.Aneightyearoldgirlwithararehaircolor.Itwasblackwithsilvermixed,everseenanythinglikeit?Anyways,shewasabeautifulgirlwithaninterestinghaircolor.Iwonderifshe’spartJapanese?ShehasthisEastern-Westernvibe.So,shallwebegin?Iflookedfromafar,peoplewouldseeamiddle-schoolkidbullyingalittlegirl.Evenso,thistestiscrucial!I’mactingallcoolandall,butifIreallylose…whatabadjokethatwouldbe.

「Kurocchi,don’tpushyourself!!!」「Don’thurtyourself,Kuro-chan!」(TLNote:ChloeinJapaneseiswrittenKuroe,hencethenicknameKuro)

Mostofthethekids’said“Don’thurtyourself!”ratherthan“Doyourbest!”Iguessthat’sjusthowitis.

Thesignalwasalreadygiven,andthematchhadbegun.Thoughtherewasafiveminuteintermission,Ichosenottotakeabreak.Evenso,Iwasnottiredintheslightest.AllI’vebeendoingisdodging,soitwasaneasywin.Now,Chloe,whatkindofattackwillsheshowme?Iwonderifshejustlikesbooks,butshe’sgotoneonherrightnow.Isthatit?Issheplanningonhittingmyheadwithitorthrowingitatme?Willshesuddenlysay“Thisisnotabook,it’sabluntweapon!”…Nah,probablynot.WhileIwasthinkingthisfoolishness.

「”Inaneternalflowingstream,bindmyfoe(WaterPrison)”」

Uoo!Suddenly,waterappearedatmyfeat.Accordingto『HeatPerception』it’srealwater.Magic!Whatanamazingchild.Letmeaguess,agenius?WhileIwasfeelingimpressed,thewatercontinuedtorageandenvelopedmeinabubble.WhenItriedpokingit,itstretchedoutabit.Iwonderifsheisfixatedonacceleratingthisskill–makingitsomethingakintomywaterblade.Wonderful.But,whatwillshedonow?

「Thismagic’snextstepistofillthebubblewithwater!Ifyouacceptdefeat,Iwillletyougo.Ifyoudon’t,youwilldie!」

Soyoungbutsodreadful!Kenyawassomuchcuterincomparison.Butaskillofthislevel…yeah…

「Yup,that’ssomeamazingmagic.Butitwon’thaveanyeffectonme.Butthismagicissuperior.Makesuretocontinuepracticinglater!」

Isaid,whilestrokingherhead.Prison?Thatkindofthingispointlessinthefaceof『Cloning』.Frankly,thatskillisthestrongestamongextraskills.It’ssoamazingthatitisnearlyauniqueskill.Besides,tomewhohasvariousresistancesagainsttemperatureattacks,herattackispointless.AndI’vehadthatresistancesinceIwasborn.

Chloesatdowninshock.Herfacered,withtearsfallingfromhereyes.Forgiveme,I’mnotpullinganypuncheshere.ToyoubratswholookeddownonmeIhavetoshowanoverwhelmingdifferenceinstrength.Chloelostherwilltofight,soIwon.ChloewastouchingthespotonherheadthatIstrokedearlierwhilesmilingforsomereason.

Let’scontinue!ThenextopponentwasGaleGibson.Theoldestamongthem–9yearsold.Brownhairandalargebuildwithwelldefinedfeatures.Definitelyaprettyboy.Whenhegrowsup,hislookswon’tloseevenagainstfamousactors!Let’scrushhim!…ofcourseIhadnosuchthought.Iamanadult,soI’llbeafairopponent.Gale,withoutatrickortacticinmind,firedasingleshotatme.Afterwatchingtheothertwo’sattempt,heprobablyreevaluatedmeabit.Hefiredaroundthatwouldcertainlykillanyotherteacher.Withoutaquestion,heputeveryounceofhispowerintothatshot.Thatwasagooddecision.But,unfortunately,toawrongopponent.Thatkindofattackcouldneverreachme.Aswhenitdid,『Gluttony』absorbedit.

「Whatwasthat!That’scheating!」

Yes.Yesitis.Icompletelyagree.

「Listenup,adultsarecheaters.We’llwinnomatterwhattrickwehavetouse!That’sthekindofbeingsadultsare!」

Thoughtthatmighthavebeenalittleimmatureofmetouseagainstachild,it’snotthetimetobepickingmethods.Imean,Icouldhavejustrepelledit,butIfeltthattherewasachanceitwouldcreateaholeinthebarrier.AndthoughIwasgivenfreereignoverthemIshouldn’tgoarounddestroyingtheclassroom.So,Ichosethemethodthatwouldpreventanypossiblecasualty.

Intheend,eventhiswastroublesome.Gale,embitteredbythis,gatheredenergyintohisfistsandattackedme.Whatachild.Atthispoint,hehasnochanceofvictory.HeendedupjustasKenyadid,andsoitwasmyvictory.

SekiguchiRyoutaisatimidchild.AlwaysfriendlywithKenya,supportinghimfrombehind.ClaimedtobethestrongKenya’spartner.There’snospecialmeaningattachedtothat,theyarejustbeingkids.But,asforhispower…

「Ryouta,avengeme!」

Themomentheheardthesewords,hiseyecolorchanged.ThisabilityissimilartoShion’s『BattleManiac』.Hisspeedandpowermorethandoubled.And,hismagicenergyandfightingspiritenvelopedhisbody.Whatawonderfulexampleofbattletransformation.Theonlyminuswouldbethefactthatheisunconscious.Andit’sagreatdemeritatthat–toloseone’scomposureinthemidstofbattle.Itseffectivenessdependsontheopponent.Imean,maybe『BattleManiac』isacommonskill,butagainsthighlevelopponentsit’snotevenagamble.Youarecertaintolose.Hismovementsaregood,somaybeifhisopponentwasn’tme,hecouldputupafight.But…toobad!Ieasilyevadedhimfortwentyminutes.

ThelastonewasthegirlAliceRondo.Theyoungest–7yearsold.Herhairblondandstraight,reachingtohershoulders.Withafacethatcouldbedescribedtobelongtoadoll,sheiscertainlyabeauty.Unliketheadult-likeChloe,sheis,apparently,atomboy.Now,whatkindofabilitywillsheshowme.Alicethrewthedollsheheldinherhandsintheair,and

「Go—Bear-san!!!」

Shecalledout.Huh?WhileIwasthinkingthat,abearsuddenlystartedattackingme.Anditsattackswereprettystrong.HerpoweriscalledGolemMaster.Ifthisisthepowershecandrawoutfromsomestuffedanimal,whatkindofbeastwillshecallforthfromaspecializedweapondoll…Herpowerjustmightbestrongestamongthefive.Well…Iwasabletokeeprunningthewholetime,sonoproblem.Ihadn’texpectedthestrongestpowertobesavedforlast,soI’mgladIwasabletosaveface.WhenshesummonedtenofthemIalmostsnappedandburnedthewholeplacetotheground.But,Ihelditinandfocusedonrunningaway.IthoughtthatifIburnedthemI’dhavetoconsoleherafterwards.Anyways,thusthefivehavecometoknowmypower.Theabilitiestheypossessareasdescribed.There’sagreatmismatchbetweenwhatyou’dexpectfromthemandwhatactuallyisthere.Whyhavetheirskillsdevelopedinsuchweirdways,youmightask?Probably,thesearetheskillsthattheyhavedesiredfromthebottomoftheirhearts.So,myonlychoicesareeithertohavethemacquireauniqueskillorsearchforsomeothermethod.Withinthenextthreemonths,theirpowerswillgowildcausingtheirbodiestocollapse.Adrasticmeasure,butIwasabletoconfirmtheirstatus.And,Ifoundthatusingallofone’spoweristhebestmethodtostallthecollapse.Eachtimetheyreleasetheexcessenergytheyextendthedeadlinebyalittlebit.Now,asfortheactualtreatment…

「Now,asthistesthasshownyou,I’mstrong!Andthisstrong“I”willpromiseyou:Iwillsaveyou.Iswearonthismask,Iwillfindasolution!」

SoIdeclaredtothechildren.Theyalldiligentlylistenedtomywords.First,Iwassuccessfulatgettingtheirattention.Afterall,ifyoudon’tputyoumindtoit,youaren’tactuallylistening.Somehow–perhapstheyjustfeelobligated–Igotthemtolisten.

「Umm,isthatmask,Shizu-sensei’s?」

Suddenly,Alicetimidlyasked.

「Itis.Shizu-sanentrustedittome.And,otherthanentrustingthemasktome,sheentrustedyoubunchaswell.」

SoIanswered.Thoughthemask’sappearancehaschangedslightly,shewasabletonotice.Shenoddedwithsatisfactionatmyresponse.Seemslikesomeofherworriesweredispelled.However…nowthatshementionedthemask…Somememoryappearedinmymind.WhatShizu-sanleftme…Hmm?ItwastohitDemonLordLeon.ButcouldShizu-sanhaveplannedtodefeataDemonLord?Waitasecond…Shizu-sancameoverherewhenshewas10,right?Sowhydidhesaveher?Let’sthinkaboutit.ThoughIdon’tknowthedetails,Ifeellikethere’sahintburiedinthesememories.Besides,itseemsstrangethatShizu-sanwouldjustabandonthekidstopursueherowngoals.PerhapspunchingLeonandsavingthekidswasoneandthesametask?Inthatcase,DemonLordLeonmustknownofawaytosavethekids.Hehadsavedheroncebefore,afterall…Inthatcase,whatisthemethod?AlongwithGreatSage,we’rebusyconsideringthesethings.And,asalways,GreatSagedidnotfailmyexpectations.HadDemonLordLeonsavedShizu-sanintentionallyorbyaccident?Theanswer…

«Solution.ThechancethatDemonLordLeonsavedIzawaShizueintentionallyisabout74%.However,thispercentageisamereprediction,andisthusmeaningless.Also,regardingthewaytosavethechildren…»

Iwasnotmistaken.

「Listenup,Iwillabsolutelysaveyou.We’llprepareforthisstartingtomorrow.Believeinme!Iwillnotletyou,whomShizu-sanentrustedtome,die!」

Unlikemypreviouswords,thistimeIwasconfident.Thechildren,likewise,respondedseriously,

「「「Please,sensei!!!」」」

Sensei,huh.Whatapleasantword.Leaveittome.Now,forthefirsttime,Iapprovedofthechildren.Iwillsavethem.SoIsworetomyself.

Chapter61-TheFirstDungeonConquest

Well,we’renowgoingtoaplacecalled『DwellingoftheSpirit』that’slocatedintheUlgNatureParkinUlgrasiaRepublic.ItsalreadybeenoneandahalfmonthssinceIbecameaTeacher.OfcourseIhadapurposeforcominghere,butit’sreallyhardtotakethesechildrenoutsidefortravelling.Wehavebeenstudyinginthisclassroomallthistime.Withthereasonthattheydidn’tknowhowfarthechurch’sinfluenceare,theAcademydidnotgiveuspermissiontogooutside.Certainly,thereisachurchnexttoit.Itcanbesaidthatthisisthemainreason.However,childrenshouldgooutsideandplayaround,notspendingtheirtimelockedupinanAcademy.Hearingaboutthisfromthechildren,Shizu-santriedtobringthemoutsidebutitwasrejected.Somehow,Itseemstheyaretryingtoomuchintryingtoconfinethechildren,amIunderestimatingthechurchwaytoomuch?Anyway,I’mdoingwhatIbelieveistherightthingtodo.Andthus,I’mtakingthechildrenoutside.Firstofall,Imadethechildrenmemorize<TransferMagic>.Normally,it’simpossibleeveninoneyeartounderstandit.It’snecessarytounderstandbothofthestructureofthemagicformationandtohavetheknowledgeofthemeaningonthesystem’screst.Thismagicisfarmoreadvancedthan<Space-BasedMagic>,itreallyiscrueltomakechildrenthathaven’tevenhit10yearoldtolearnit.But,theymightnotbeabletodoiteveniftheytook3years;perhapsthereisnoneedtohavethemmemorizethetheoryandsuch.Althoughit’sunfair,onsuchoccasion,it’stimefortheskilltoshine.Withmy『Shapeshifter』abilities,Icanembeddedmyknowledgeandfuseditintothechildren.ActuallyIthinkit’sunfair,butthere’snoneedtobepickyaboutone’sappearancesanymore.Next,IsummonsRanga’ssubordinate,withtheirtransformingability,Imakethemtaketheformofthechildren.

Ialsomademyselfacloneandthenthepreparationiscompleted.EvenifIhadthoughtthattheremightbeproblemtothosewhoopposedwiththemgoingoutside,Istillchosetodoit.IhaddiscusseditwithYuukiforseveraltimes,buthethinkit’stoodangerousandouropinionclashed.ItwouldbegreatifIhadsucceedinpersuadinghim,butsadlyit’sallinvain.Icanpersuadehimslowlyifthereistime,butputtingmeaside,thechildrendon'thavemuchtimeleft.『GreatSage』hadpredictthatattheearliest,thechildrenhadatimelimitof3months.Thereisnotimeforaleisurediscussion.I’mforcingmyselftolearn<TransferMagic>tobringthechildrenoutside.

Whylearn<TransferMagic>?Thereasonissimple.Thereisnoneedtosearchforthelodgingwhilewetravel,sothechurchwon’tbealertedbyit.Moreover,untilwereachourdestination,thereisnoneedtoenterUlgrasiaRepublicpersonallyandwecangostraighttoUlgNaturePark.MeandRangawilltakethechildren,andthenwewilltravelrapidly.BeforeSchoollunchtimearrives,usingtheinstalledMagicFormationfor<TransferMagic>wewillhavealreadyreturnedtotheclassroom.Aftereatingthelunch,we’llthenusethe<TransferMagic>andresumeourtravelfromwhereweleft.Thepurposeformakingthechildrenusemagicistohavethemusetheirmagicpower.(ED:魔素=Magicpower?)(TL:yes,magicpowerorshouldIusemagicessence?魔=Magic,Demon,Evil素=source,basis,material,foundation.Mamotoalreadyusedseveraltimesinthisnovel.)IfaGrandMagicisusedwecanpostponetheirbreakdownforawhile.Thechildrenagreedwithoutcomplaining.HowshouldIsayit?Theirfirsttripcausethemgreatexcitements.Theyarescaredatfirst,butaftertheyaccustomedtothehigh-speedmovementofmeandRanga,theyenjoyeditwithagreatsmile.Atthebeginning,therewassomeonewho’speedatmyback.Whowouldthinksuchthingcanhappen?Geez...Toprotecttheirhonor,theydeliberatelydidn’tsaidasingleword.Whilevarioussmallthingshappens,wefinallyarrivedatthe『Dwelling

oftheSpirit』atlast.

UlgrasiaRepublicisverydifferentfromthenationssurroundingJuraForest.It’snotundertheinfluenceoftheWesternSaint’sChurch,also,thissmallnationisnotamemberoftheCouncil.TheyreceivetheDivineProtectionofSpiritofWisdom.(TL:精霊の恵と加護SeireinoEtoKago)(ED:Takaminokago,anyone?).ThisisthenationwhoconductstradewithSorceryDynastyofSarion.Whilethereisnorestrictionforgoinginandoutofthenation,therearerelativelyfewcriminalsinthatnation.Thereasonisstraightforward.Thisnation’speopleareall<Spirit-BasedMagic>user.<Spirit-BasedMagic>moreorlesscanbedividedintotwomaincategories.Thefirstis<SpiritMagic>.Thiscategoryhasalotoffensivespellthatissimilarto<ChemicalElementMagic>.It’sborrowingthepowerofthespiritwhenusingit.ItrequiresMagicpowerascompensation.There’snoneedtochantin<SpiritMagic>spells,everyonecanuseitiftheyareconnectedwiththespiritstheycontractedwith.However,toberecognizancebythespirits,itwasnecessarytobelikedbythem.Inthisnation,therearemanypersonthatislikedbythespiritsthatexistinsidethenation.Therefore,theyareholdingthecontract’sceremonywhensomeonereachestheageof10yearsold,ifthere’sapersonwhoisunabletomakecontractwiththespirits,thatpersonwillbedrivenoutfromthenationwhenreaching20yearsold.Losingtheirqualificationasacitizen.However,becausethere’remanykindsofspirits,apersonthatisunabletocontractwiththespiritsarerare.Thesecondis<SpiritSummoning>.Inthiscategory,itwasnecessarytobecontractedwithapowerfulspirit.However,todothesummoningachantisrequired,thoughit’seasierthantheothertypeofmagic.

Tothatextent,therearenoneedtocomparethepower.<SpiritMagic>onlyborrowedaportionofthespirit’spower,whilewith<SpiritSummoning>it’spossibletousethepowerofthespirititself.Besidesitspower,itsurpasseditinallotherarea.Thus,thepowerofborrowingisnomatchfortherealthing.It’sverydifficultforauserof<SpiritMagic>towinagainstanopponentwhouses<SpiritSummoning>.Eveniftheopponenthasbadaffinityagainsttheotherside,hewouldbeabletoturnoverthedisadvantagewith<SpiritSummoning>.

SorceryDynastyofSarion,anationwheretherepresentativechantingmagic,<ChemicalElement-BasedMagic>isthemainstreammagic,contrarywithUlgrasiaRepublicwherethecontractmagic,thatis<Spirit-BasedMagic>isthemainstreammagic.Forthesereasons,becausetherearealotofexchangebetweenthem,andthereisthebackgroundthatworkstogetherincompetition,anddevelopseachother's.(TL:Notsureifthismeantheyhadmagicresearchagreementorjustspyingeachother)(ED:だからこそ、交流も盛んであり、お互いの文明を切磋琢磨して発展させている背景があるのだ。NeedTLC)

Andso,wecometothisplacewithanobjective.Thatisofcourse,SpiritSummoning.Ihadraisedahypothesis.Andthatis,RegardingthesituationoftheFlameGiant(Ifrit)thatShizu-sanfusionwith,havingitsmagicpowerrampagewouldsomehowpreventedcausingbodydecay.IsithighrankspiritmagictocontrolIfrit,orisitbecauseoftheUniqueSkill『Shapeshifter』thattheFusionwasabletobedone?Inanycase,thekeyistousewithaspirit.Asentientspiritarefewinnumber,andit’scalledahighrankspirit.Inthiscity,therearetwoplacestocontractaspirit.Firstisinaplacewherethecitizensconducttheircontractthatisonanaltarinthemiddleofthecity.ButthisplacehasararechanceofaHighRankSpirittobesummonedFortheuserofHighRankSpiritMagic,toconduct<SpiritSummoning>contract,itisnecessarytogototheotherplace.Thatis,the『DwellingoftheSpirit』.

It’salabyrinththatstretchedintheundergroundormaybeintheair.TheonlydoortoenterislocatedinUlgNaturePark.Thedoorisembeddedonabigrock,andbeyondthedoorisadifferentdimension.(TL:That’sexplainwhythelabyrinthissaidtobeintheair)But,ourpurposeistocontractaHighRankSpirit,sothereisnootherchoiceforusthantokeepgoing.

Wetakepreparationtorestforonenight.Frombeyondthisdoor,itisdoubtfulifwecanuse<TransferMagic>toreturn.AlthoughIhadahunchitwon’tbeimpossible.Anyway,theMagicFormationintheParkwasinstalledinsuchwaytonotdrawanyattention.Attheworst,iftheinsideissuspiciousitisstillpossibletouseittoescape,althoughIdoubtwhetheritwouldbeusefulornot.Justforaninsurancethough.(TL:Rimuruisasparanoidcarefulasever.)Andthen,

[Arethepreparationfinish?Wemightnotreturnonceweenter.Areyourguysready?]

Inresponsetomyquestion.

[Ofcourse!][It’sallright!]

Andsoon.Severalanswerscome.There,there.Thereisnoneedtobeafraid.Lately,theybeguntoputtheirtrustintome,thefeelingstheyharbortowardmeisdifferentcomparedfrombefore.Transformingintoablackwolf,Iinstant-killanymonstersthatgetonourway,thatmightbewhatgaintheirtrust.Then,letresumethetravel.Regardingthatplace,IobtainedsomeinformationaboutitwhenIwassearchingforinformationinthelibrary.Unfortunately,althoughitaccuratelytellthelocation,it’snotwrittenwhatkindofmonstersthataregoingtoappearontheinside.Itonlysaidthattherewouldbeatrial,Idon’tknowwhatkindofdangerwe’llface....

CanMeandRangaprotectthechildren?Thereisaslightfeelingofunease.Ifit’snotgood,ImighttemporarilywithdrawandcallBenimaruandothers.Anyway,wewentinsideandproceedcarefully.Theinside,eventhoughthesunlightdidnotabletoreachinside,it’sstillfullwithbrightlights.Justincase,Iturnoffthe『MagicPerception』,itseemsthevisionisalright.There’salsonoproblemwiththeatmosphere.Thechildrencanenterwithoutanyproblem.Withallmembersinside,weproceedwithcaution.IassignRangaasthebodyguardofthechildren.Ratherthanalabyrinth,it’sastraightpath....Weadvancedcarefully.

............

........

....

I’mthankfulforthemindmapping,Icangoonstraightpath,therearemanytrapsinstalledherethatcandisturbsomeone’ssenseofdirection.Lookingbehind,theroadthatwasilluminatedbythelamp-likemechanismisnowhiddenbytheshadow.Lookingatfront,thepathoncehiddenbylightnowbecomevisible.Isee.Itreallyisalabyrinth.Usingnormalpersonsenseofdirection,perhapsit’spossibletobecomelost.Thisissomehowbecomequitefrightening.

“OhWell.Well.My.OhMy.”“FoundItOut.OutFindIt.”“Oh.Ah.Oh.Ah.Oh.Ah”“*chatter*chuckle*giggle*”

AllofsuddenIheartheSpiritvoiceinmymind.Areallystrongmindvoice.No,maybethisisMindcommunication(Telepathy)?

“OhFoolishVisitors!”“BecomeMoreInDread!”“BecomeMoreInFear!”

Whataselfishwords.Thechildrenarerestlesslylookingattheirsurroundings.ChloeandAlicedidn’treleasetheirhandfrommyclothes.However,eventhetimidYotaroudrewhisswordasiftoprotectthegirls.The3boyshadbeengivenswordsawhileago.ItwassomethingthatIcopied,aswordmadefrompuredemonsteelwith,ittransformedintoashapethat’ssuitableforthem.(TL:IthinktheswordiscustommadebyRimuruforthechildren)(ED:Theswordtransformaccordingtotheirneed,rememberRimuru’sromanceseveralchaptersback?)(TL:Demonsteelalsocanmeanmagicsteel,yourpreferences?)It’sfortunatethattherearecircumstancestowarranttheirneedbefore,however...

“Good!Good!”“MoreinFear!”“IfNot,ItBoring!”

Fumu.Wearrivedatacertainroom.Tomakenoiseastheyplease,however,it’sannoying.

[Hey.Areyoutheonelivinginthisplace?Wellthen,areyoutheSpiritsperchance?Wehaveapurposeforcominghere.WehadbusinesswiththeHighRank

Spirit.Soifitpossiblecanweaskguidancefromyou?]

Justincase,Iasked.Now,whatkindofreactiontheywillshow?

“Ahahahahaha!”“Ufufufufufufu!”“ThisIsInteresting!MoreInterestingThanSurprise!MoreInterestingThanFear!”“Nice!Nice!”“ITellYou!However!However!”“Infront!”

Alightextendattheendofpassage.It’sjustlikeaninvitation.Well,thereisnothingotherthantoaccept.Whenweadvanceatthepassage,thereisagreathall.Andthemiddleofit,therewasaGiant.

“Now,let’sbeginthetrial!!!”

Thegiant’seyesshonered.SuddenlyIstartwondering,whytheeyesofsuspiciousmonstersalwaysshiningred?Well,whatever.

[Hey,canyouhearme?IfIdefeattheGiant,willthetrialend?]

“That’sright!”“Well.”“Justlikethat!”

Then,it’seasy.IletRangaprotectthechildren,onlyI’malonethatwentahead.

“Oh!Oh!Ohmy?”

“Doingitalone?”“Overconfidentisdangerous,youknow?”

Areyouguysworryingaboutme?Well,itwillbeokay.Ianalyzedthegiantinfrontofme.

Name:Spirit’sProtectorColossus(Temporary)Material:MagicSteelAbility:OverRankAMagicpower:OverRankA

Phew!Ialmostblownaway.(ED:Asinshocked?ぶ！　吹きそうになった。)I’mnamingitwithoutanypermission,itsabilityaredangerousAMagicDoll(Golem)madefromMagicSteel,withaheightof3meter.Ithadamassivefigure.Perhapsitsweightisabout30metricton.Toputitsimply,ifsomeonereceivesitsphysicalattacktheywillreceivetremendousdamage.EvenifthereisPhysicalAttackResistance,ithasnomeaningifyougetcrushed.Whilestillobservingitandseewhatitwilldo,thegiant’ssilhouetteblurred.Well,Istillseeit,but...It’smovementisasfastasamasterswordsman.Thisis...Thisisaverydangerousenemy.Itsspeedanditsweight.Ifithits,itdefinitelywillcauseamoredisastrousdamagethanatrafficaccident.Geez,isthisreallyatrial?Aretheytryingtokillme?Nodoubtit.

[Hey,Hey!!!Whatisthisthing?Youguys,arenottestingme!Youaretryingtokillmeinstead!]

SoIshouted,

“*chatter*chuckle*giggle*”“Well,that’sso,that’sright!”“Canyouwin?Canyouwin?”

.......Really?......Whatarethoseguysreallywant.Th,thisis,arethoseguys’retards?I’mreallymadinside,butit’sgonewhenIseehowchildishtheyare.Nogood!Nogood!Infrontofthechildren,Imustactlikeagentleman.

It’snogoodifIlosemyreasonandsuccumbtorage,that’smyteachingposition.Well,thecoolmehasneverbeenrecklesslyangry,thisissomethingI’mawareof.Heeheefuu,heeheefuu.Isteadymybreathandtookastancewithsomeleeway.Heck,evenwithoutgettingserious,it’salrightifIdon’tgethit!It’squitefast,butI’mfasterthanthatthing.Iamaguywhocandisappearasfastasthespeedofsound.Well,maybe『BlackLightning』won’tbeeffectiveagainstit.Because,it’smadeofmetal.Theelectriccurrentmighttraveltothegroundandneutralized.WiththemagicIlearnt,therewasnonethatworks.WaterBladeandFireBallisuseless.Also,slicingitwithswordisoutofquestion.Evenifitpossibletocutit,theswordmightbreakandit’stroublesomesoIwon’tdoit.AlumpofMagicSteel,Iwishyoucanpardonmefromdoingsuchthing.TheMagicPuppet(Golem)hasthehighesthardnessyetagile,itmeansithadfewweaknesses,sotroublesome!Then,shallIburnittoashes....?

[Hey,Iallowyouguystoapologize,butyouguysarenotapologizing,soit’sfineifIdestroyitright?]

“Ahahahahaha!”“Interesting,it’ssoamusing!”“Bluffing!Bluffing!”“Nice,Nice.It‘ssoundgood!”“Ifyoucandoit,thenshowit!”

Fu~~~.Iamanadult.Soit’salright.

Iwon’tgetangrybysuchimpudenttelepathy.Idon’thaveanyvein,sotheveinthatappearsinmyheadisjustpartofmyimaginations.Well,Igetthepermissionnow.Goodbye!MagicPuppet(Golem).Ifpossible,Iwanttobringyoubackasmytoy....

[Misaoitoayabakujin!(BindingFormationofBewitchingStrings)]「操糸妖縛陣！」(TL:ifanyonehaveabetteronepleasecomment)(ED:Justforlulz,MysticalVirginBindingThreads)(TL:Nice.)

My『StickySteelThread』’spowerwasdifferentfrombefore,Ialreadystrengthenedit.I’minfusingitwithmagicalenergy,sonowit’spossibleforittoendureweightover1000ton.ThethreadbindtheMagicPuppet(Golem)completely,nowitsmovementwascompletelystopped.Then,I’mconcentrating,andshoottheBlackFlamePrison(HellFlare)towardsit.Ifyounormallyshootit,therewasnoneedtoreallyconcentrating.However,tomaketherangespecificallysmall,itwasnecessarytoconcentratetocontroltheenormousamountofmagicpower(Energy).Withsupportof『GreatSage』,it’snowpossibletoreducesthesizeoftheBlackFlamePrison(HellFlare).It’sstillnotpossibleforBenimarutouseitlikethis,theattackcompletelyenvelopedtheMagicPuppet(Golem)initssphereshape(Dome)withdiameterof5m.Soloud!Athunderoussoundsounded;thedomedisappearswhileleavingnothingremainingonitstraces.Perhaps,insidethedome,theflameprisonburnseverythingtonothingnesswithitshightemperaturesthatreachseveralhundredmilliondegrees.(TL:Rimuru-san,that’soverkillyouknow!)(ED:Sodoesyourgrammar&translationmistakes*snicker*)(TL:Allright,Ihangmyselfthen,Minna-san.Sayonara)EvenwithmyHeatAttackResistance,it’snotpossibleformetobeunaffectedbyit.Apersonthatcanenduresuchattackmightnotexist.

Thedownsideofthisattackwas,iftheopponent’snotrestricted,it’seasythingtoavoidtheattack.BecauseittakessometimetocastitOhwell,it’snicebecauseitsucceedwellthistime.Ifpossible,Idon’treallywanttoshowthistrumpcard.

“Noway!!!”“Unbelievable!”“Onlyonehit.......”

It’swhatIheardfromthechaotictelepathy.Apparently,theyhaveputalltheirconfidenceontheMagicPuppet(Golem).Ofcoursetheyare.Thechildrenmouthsarewideopen,theyaredumbfounded.Itseemstheshockisreallygreat.Therefore,Idon’twanttoshowit.Anyway.

Theirattitudethatunderestimatesmeisgone.Ihopetheypreparethemselves.

It‘snowtimeforthepunishment.

Chapter62-ASpiritis…

AftervaporizingthegolemIflashedanevilsmile.Kukuku.Nowwecancontinuetheconversationonourterms.

「Nowthen,ifyoudon’twanttobescorchedtodeath,howaboutyoucomeonout?Iknowexactlywhereyouareallhiding,youknow?」

Iknowthegeneraldirectionbutnottheexactlocation.I’dmuchrathertheycomeoutoftheirownvolition.Inresponsetomywords,ingreatpanic,

「Yes!Yes,yes,yes!!!AsYouhavecommanded,thoughgreatlyembarrassed,weappearbeforeyou!!!」

And,withdragonflywingsgrowingfromtheirbacks,tinyandcutegirls(?)cameflyingout.Theywerenolongerthan30cminheight.Notmidgets,butthekindoffairyyou’dhearaboutinafairytale.Atthefrontofthegrouplinedupgirlsdressedindazzlingdresseswithmanyfrills;behindthem,anothergroupwasdressedinratherplaindress.Overall,theydressedindarkercolors.

「Ta-daa!Iamoneofthetengweat~…」

Shebithertongue.ShouldImakefunofher?Itseemsthatshe’sgottensousedtotelepathythatsheforgothowtotalk.

「…..areyouokay?」

Sheheldupherhandinresponse,

「Iamoneofthetengreatdemonlords!RamirisoftheLabyrinth!!!Ceasethouhaughtyactions!Showhumility!!!」

Shehappilysaid,Whileproudlyshowingoffhernone-existentchest.WhydoIfeelsopissedoff…First,let’schopher.

「Uhyou!!!Wha-whatwasthatfor!You’llgivemeaheartattack!!!」

Shecomplainedafterdodgingwithhersmallbody.

Horrible,right~?Right~?Shouldwekillit?Killit?But,but,but,but,itkilledthegolem,right?Impossible.Impossible.We’llbekilled!

Hownoisy.Myheadwasfilledwiththeirchatter.

「Besides,youarecheating!Whyaren’tyouaffectedby『ThoughtManipulation』!It’sbeentoolongsincewelastmetsomeonelikeyou!!!」

Isn’tshefurious.Isee,sothestrangeangerIfeeltowardsthemisduetomeresistingtheir『ThoughtManipualtion』right?However,there’snowayanyoneamongthesefairies(brats)isademonlord.Aretheystillmessingwithme?

「Hey,nexttimeyouliecomeupwithamorebelievableone.There’snowayanyoneamongyoubratsisademonlord!」「Don’tcallusbrats!Seriously,howrude.WhatelseamI,ifnotademonlord!」「Huh?Anidiot?Anyways,speakingofdemonlords,youknowhowstupidyourclaimsoundsincomparisontomyfriendMilim?Comparedtoher,youguysare…pathetic?」「Stupid!Stupidstupidstupidstupid!!!Youaresostupid~!!!!!!」

ThespiritnamedRamirisloudlyshoutedandthenstoppedtocatchherbreath.And,

「Listenhere.WhenyousayMilim,surelyyourefertothatunreasonabledemonlordMilim.Theonethatsolveseverythingthroughbruteforce.TocomparethatunreasonablebrutetothebeautifulI,aren’tyoujustbeingrude?Hey,I’llbetroubledifyoucan’tunderstandthatmuch!」

Herwordsfullofindignation.And,

「Besides,aren’tyouastrangeoneyourself?Whatwasthat?Didyouhavetosuddenlyusethatdangerousskill!Howmanyspecialskillsmustyoupossesstousethathellflare?Pleasedon’tbesounreasonable.Ah,whatever.I’mnotevensurprisedthatyou’rethatMilim’sacquaintance;Ibelieveyou.So,believemeaswell!」

Somehow,shemightnotbelyingafterall.Well,youknow?Theylookprettyharmlessupclose.And,theyactuallylistenwhenyousitdowntotalktothem.

Forsomereason,Iwaspreparingthesnacks.IfIamtheguest,whyareourrolesreversed?NotthatIcare.Thekidshavegottenfriendlywiththefairiesandarehappilymunchingonsomesnackstogether.Withasatisfiedsmile.Inthefirstplace,thegolemthatfreakedusoutwasmeanttobeshownafterwehavehadourfun.Infact,theydidn’tintendtokillusorhurtus.Whichiswhy,

「Aaaah…andwewehadjustfinishedmakingitfromallthoseparts…」

Shecomplainedbegrudgingly.Nothingcanbedoneaboutitnow.IfIdon’tkillit,it’llkillme–soIthoughtbackthen…

「Doyouknowjusthowefficientitwas?EarthSpiritsmanipulatedtheweight,Waterspiritsmovedeachindividualjoint,Firespiritsprovideditspower,Windspiritsregulatedthetemperature.Combinationofmanychemicalelements.ItwastheepitomeofthegeniusoftheGhostResearchers…」

She’ssurprisinglypersistent.IfIknewitwasgoingtoenduplikethis,Iwouldhaveeatenitandmadeacopy.ThoughIdon’tknowifIcouldhavedoneso…But,geniusoftheGhostResearchers?DoesthathaveanythingtodowithKaijin’sstory–theoneaboutthe“MagicSoldiers”planthedwarfshadundertakenwithetheelves?

「Hey,areyoutalkingaboutthemagicsoldiersthatthedwarfsandelveshavebeenresearchingtogether?」「Bingo,bingoooo!!!Howdidyouknow!Itwentwildaftertheyfailedtousetheheart–theSpiritMagicCircuits!So,wepickeduptheshellthattheythrewout!Doesthatmakeus…geniuses?Arewethatamazing?」

Annoying,but,yes,amazing.But,wearetalkingaboutGhostResearcherswhoemploythepowerofghosts,andfairieswhoareprobablyanexistenceclosetothatofghosts–inotherwords,Icanaccepttheirproficiencyinregardstothisquestion.Anyways,tosummarizeRamiris’story:peopletriedtomanipulatethepowerofghoststocreateagolem.Fillingitsbodywithmagicalenergyasifblood,andpumpingitwithoiltomakeitmove.Andtocontrolitsweighwithmagic.Butitprovednonsensical.Imean,itsmagicsupplywouldbecutoffifitjustjumpedfivemetersaway.

However,wereitmadeusable,itwouldbecomeaterrifyingweapon.ThoughRamirisisanidiot,Iguesssheisamazing.

「Alright,Iunderstandyourawesomeness.Now,Ihavearequesttothisawesomeyou!」

Ideclared.

Then,Iexplainedthechildren’scircumstances.Withouthidinganything;truthandonlythetruth.Thechildrenlistenedintently.

「Isee,Isee~Iremembered.Therewasaguywhocameheretotrysomethingsout.Leon,itwasLeon-chan!Hehadnotbecomeademonlordbackthen.Well,Icouldhavetakenhimoutwithasinglepunch!Noquestion!Seriously…」

That’salie.Imean,it’snotacasewheresheisavertinghereyes–theyarejustspinningoutofcontrol.Ilistentoherstory.Oneday,ayoungLeonshoweduphere.Ramiris’『ThoughManipulation』hadnoeffect.Infact,shewascontrolledinstead.ForRamiris,whowasonlyproficientin〈IllusionMagic〉ofthe〈SpiritMagic〉archive,therewasnothingelseshecoulddo.

「Besides,justasithappenedwithyou,onceillusionmagicfaileditwasgameover!Ihadnotmorecardstoplay,youknow?ThisadorableRamirishadnootherplan.So,IplannedtohavetheGolembecomemyarmsandlegs…Andsilencethedemonlordswhoconstantlyridiculed…」

She’scomplainingagain.Notcompletelydisheartened,butcertainlyholdingagrudge.

Well,shethenwentoutandlosttothenot-yet-demonlordLeon,andhadtohelphimout.Itseemshewasresearchingthings–knowledgeonhowtosummonghosts.Withoutasingleclue,hehadmanagedtosummonahighlevelfirespiritoutofpureangerandthensenthimaway.Thefairiesweredumbfoundedwhenhetoldthem.

「Andthen,hehadthisabsurdrequest.TosummonWorldTravelers,specialindividualsfromotherworlds!Stopaskingfortheimpossible.Areyouanidiot!HelookedabouttocrywhenIsaidthat…No!Really,hestartedcrying!Yeah.Iamnotexaggeratingintheslightest.Pathetic~!!!Acrybabybutsocheeky!Idiot!!!」

Why’sshegettingexcitedallonherown?Isthisademonlord?Thankgoodness.HadthefirstdemonlordImetbeenthis,Iwouldconsiderthemamiserableexistence.But,isshegoingtobefine?Ifsomeonelearnsofhermaliciousgossip,she’llbeerased,no…?ImeanIcaneasilysquashher.

「Hey…Youarethinkingsomethingruderightnow,aren’tyou?」「No,notatall?」

Thoughshe’slookingatmewithsuspicion,let’snotforgetthatshe’sanidiot.She’seasytofool.

Bytheway,theconversationgotsidetracked.Thepointis,Iwanttohavehighrankedspiritsstopthechildren’scollapse.ThoughIcan’texpectmuchfromthisidiot,Istilldecidedtoask.

「Well,inthatcase,Iwaswonderingwhetheraspiritcouldstopthebody’sbreakdown.Whatdoyouthink?」

Herexpressionbecameserious.Shelookedatthechildren–ateachoftheirfaces.Shecouldmakeafacelikethat?Onetrulyunbefittingofademonlord–filledwithlove.

「Um.Youknow,whileIamademonlord,Iamalsothesaints’guide.Ibestowdivineprotectiononheroes.Soworrynot!Iamfair.I,thispersonbeforeyou,preservedthebalanceoftheentireworld!」

So?What’sthepoint?WhileIwasthinkingthat,sheturnedtofaceme,

「Alright.Iwillhelpwiththesummoning.We’llsummonthebestspiritsthereare!」

Shesodeclared.

Thus,IwastaughtaboutspiritsbyRamiris.Aspiritis…

“Innothingnesspowerfindsitsfill.Thatisaholyspirit.Thegreatholyspiritisthesourceofpower.Amongthese,lightanddarkness,thetwogreatspirits.Whocametoexistatthesamemomentastheworld.But,theworldwaswithoutform,aephemeralexistence.Lightandshadow,darknessandthelight.Twoexistencesthatshallneverinterweave.Oneday,thegreatspirittimewasborn.Thechildoflightanddarkness.Andthustheworldbegantomove.Themovingworldspun,withoutpurpose,arounditself.Insidetheflowingcurrentsoflifeanddeath,Earth,Water,Fire,Wind,andSky–thesefivegreatspiritswereborn.Andsincethen,thesewerethegreateightspirits.Untilthelightconsumestheworld,erasingdarkness,Untilanewspiritisborn,erasingall.Lifeanddeath.

Heraldingthecomingendoftheworld…”

Iswhatshesaid.

「Inotherwords,firsttheholyspirithadexisted,anditgavebirthtotheothereight!」

Splendid…right?Foramyth,itsurprisinglylacksgods.Perhapsthisisthetruthofthisworld.Bytheway,greatspiritsdidnothaveego–theyweremassesofenergy.TheFireSpiritwasjustanexcessfragmentoftheentiremass.Likeamonster,thisfragmentgainedselfawareness.Andthisself-awarefragmentofpureenergythusbecameamonster.Inafewwords–paranormalphenomenaiswhatitis.NotthatIunderstand,orwanttounderstand.But,Idogetwhatshewantsustodo.Thepointis,

「Createanotherfragment,isthatit?」

Ramirisnods.Togivebirthtoanewspirit.Ifnotthat,thencallforthanexistingone.Notaneasytask.Sincetheyarecapableofthought,itwillbedifficulttomakeaspiritobey.Moreover,Idon’tknowwhetherthekidscanhandleit.Evenso.Wehavenochoicebuttotry.

Eitherwesummonaspiritthatcanfixourproblems,oronethatpossessesthekids.We’llsolvethatproblemwhenwegetthere.Ilookatthekids.Theyareallstaringatmewithaseriousexpression.

「Okay?」「「「Yeah!」」」

Astupidquestion.

Allthat’sleftistohavesomefaithandtryitout.

Chapter63-ChildrenandSpirits

Wemovedtoadifferentplace.Tothedeepestroominthelabyrinth–theoracleroom.Priortoarrivingthroughtothisroomwefirstpassedalargeemptyroombeforeit.Apaththatisonemeterwideandtwentymeterslongleadsfromthisroomtoafivemeterindiametercircularscaffold.WhatthescaffoldismadeofIdonotknow;itlooksasifitsspreadingthroughtheroom.

「Okay?Stepontopofthatfloorandcallouttoaspirit!」「Whatshouldwesay?」「Whateveryoulike,really.Helpme!Or,Let’splay!Aninterestedspiritwilldefinitelyappearbeforeyou」「…willtheyreallycome?」「Theywill!Sensei,theywill,right?」「Willthey?」

Thechildrenlookatmewithaworriedface.Well,Ithinkitwillbefine.Ifnospiritsshow,I’llmakethemappear.

「…Hey,you!You’remakingascaryface!」「Hmm?Noproblem,noproblem.Hey,brats!Don’tworry.It’llworkout!」

Iftheydon’tshowup,allIneedtodoiscallthemoutmyself.WhileIwouldn’tmindspiritscapableofthinkingtoappear–wecouldtalktotheminthatcase,Iwouldprefernon-sentientones.Thatis,inthatcasetheycouldobeymewithouthesitation.

「SinceI’mcomingalong.」「…Well,Iguessthat’sfine.Doesn’tmattertomehowmanypeoplego,butitisnarrow.So,sinceyou’recoming,it’sprobablybesttobringonechildatatime.」

Hmph.It’sprobablyalsoagoodideatosummonaspiritforeachoneofthem.Why?Theremightbesomegrown-upnegotiationsinvolved.Butanythinggoesaslongaswecanavoidnegotiatingwithourfists…

「Alright!Onepersonatatimewillgo.Who’sfirst?」

Then,wedecidedtheorder.FirstwillbetheeldestGale.ThenAlice.FollowedbyKenyaandRyouta.AndconcludedwithChloe.Theydidquarrelaboutit,butintheendweresatisfiedwiththisorder.Let’sgetthisoverwith.

Atranquilroom.Withoutasoundtobeheard,envelopedbyadimlight.Onlyourfootstepsreverberatedthroughoutit.

「Sensei,ifanythinghappenstome,pleasetakecareofthem.」

Don’tbesoformal.He’stootense.Withoutaword,Irubhishead.Wehavereachedthecircularroom.It’sdesignedwithanopticalillusionthatmakesyoufeelasifyouarefalling.But,『MagicPerception』clearlyseesascaffoldinthere.Transparentglass?Acrylicfibersorsomething?Istepontoitwhilealittlesurprised.ButGaleistremblinginfear,

「Don’tworry,there’saplatformhere.Ifanythinghappens,I’llsaveyou.」

Isaid,havinglongresolvedmyself.Timidlyandcarefully,Heproceedsintothecenter

「Okay,there’sfine!I’mlookingforwardtothephraseyouchoose!」

Ramiristoldhim.Andaftershetappedhishead,heclosedhiseyesandbegantopray.Kneeling,asifprayingtothegods.Icrossedmyarmswhileobservingthis.Aftersometimehaspassed,dropsoflightbegantofallfromthesky.Likesnow.And,beforeusonthealtarasingleperson…no,asinglespiritappeared.Galenoticedthisandcontinuedtopray.Goodjob!It’sasuccess.Anon-sentientmassofnaturalenergy.Appearinglikeamassofmagicalenergy,butamerecounterfeit.Willitbeabletoacquireanego?LikeVeldora’scave,thisplaceisfilledwithnaturalenergy.Ifit’snotself-awareitwillprobablydisperse,thencometogetheragaintogivebirthtoanewspirit.Then,withoutanyhesitation,Iatethespirit.

「Gale,continuepraying!」「Wh-whatwasthat!You…whathaveyoudone?!」「Ramiris,shutupforasecond.I’vegotaplan.」

Calmly,Icallforth『GreatSage』Afterreadingmyintentions,itbeganthecalculation.Andaftercompletingthem,itbegantransformingthespirit.

«Announcement.Transformationofthespiritusing『GreatSage』hasbeencompleted.Thecontentsarenowmostlyof『EarthAttributeAbilities』Furthermore,afteranalyzingflamegiantIfrit,apseudo-humanpersonalityhasbeencreated.Correctiveabilityfromtheuniqueskill『GreatSage』hasbeenadded.WillyoubestowthispoweronGaleGibson?[YES]/[NO]»

IplacemyhandonGale’shead,selectYES,andgranthimthepower.Throughthis,thecontractwiththespiritwillbecompletedwithinasinglemoment.AfteranalyzingGale’sconditionIconfirmedthattherampagingmagicalenergywasnowatpeace.

Ofcourse,hisaggregateenergyisstillfarhigherthanthatofnormalchildren.Thatistheresultofspiritualenergyandmagicalenergyoffsettingeachother.Now,ashecontinuestogrowhewillprobablybeabletoacquiremanyabilities.“Surgerywassuccessful!”Ithoughtinmymind,andshookhandswiththe『GreatSage』-mentally,ofcourse.Imean,Ihaven’teverseenwhatitlookslikeandhavenoideaifitevenhasaform.

「Yup,alldone!Goodjob!」

IsaytoGale.Doesn’tlooklikehewasinpainoranything;hejustquicklylookedupatme.Igaveabignod.

「You’reokaynow.Thecollapsehasstopped,Iguaranteeit!」

Withafacefulloftears,

「Sensei,thankyouverymuch!!!」

Hebowed.WhilehidingmyembarrassmentIpattedhishead,andsowerejoinedtheotherkids.Everyonewasveryhappytofindoutthatwehadsucceeded.But,wehavejustbegun.It’smeaninglessunlesseveryoneissaved.

「Steelyourselves.We’llcelebratewheneveryoneissaved!」

Theywereremindedbymywordsandnodded.Let’smoveontothesecondone.

NextwasAlice.Shesaidthatshewasscaredwalkingdownthepath,soIcarriedherinstead.

ChloeandAliceseemedtobickeringaboutsomethingbefore,butit’sprobablyjustchildren’sdispute.Withoutacareintheworld,IpickedAliceupandproceededtowardstheroom.Ihopethingsgojustasgoodthistime.Undermywatchfuleye,Aliceboweddowntopray.Holdingherhandstogethertightly,holdingontoherskirt.Afterwaitingforawhile,lightbegantofallfromtheskyjustasbefore.ThemomentthespiritappearedontheAltar,Iateit.Ramirislookedasifshehadsomethingtosay,butIcompletelyignoredher.I’vegottenusedtothisthesecondtimearound.

«Announcement.Transformationofthespiritusing『GreatSage』hasbeencompleted.Thecontentsarenowmostlyof『SkyAttributeAbilities』Furthermore,afteranalyzingflamegiantIfrit,apseudo-humanpersonalityhasbeencreated.Correctiveabilityfromtheuniqueskill『GreatSage』hasbeenadded.Duetoexcellentaffinity,ithasfusedwith『ShadowStep』andevolvedinto『SpatialTransfer』.WillyoubestowthispoweronAliceO’Bell?[YES]/[NO]»

Seemslikemyabilityhasevolvedaftercomingincontactwithaspirit.Whatanunexpectedoccurrence.IgrantedtheabilitytoAlice.Ohbytheway,『Barrier』haschangedintoSpacialBarrier,butIcannotgiveittoAlice.Iwonderifheraffinitywithitisjustbadorsomething?Well,it’saskillshecanjustacquireonherownsomeday.

「Alice,welldone!You’refinenow!」

Iheldherupinmyarmsandsaid.Shesmiledwidelyandkissedmeonthecheek.Oioi,whataprecociouschild.Imean,shouldIevenbehappytobepopularwithsevenyearolds?Nah,I’mhappy.Justremember–I’magentleman,notsomepervertedlolicon.

「Thanks!」

Shebowedinthanks,andwereturnedtotherestofthegroup.ThemomentIputherdownshebegantoquarrelwiththefuriousChloe,butIguessthatjustshowshowclosetheyare.

IreturnedtothecircularroomwithKenya.NowIfeelconfident.Thingsaregoingsmoothly.Justthreeleft.Inworstcasescenario,Ihadplannedtosummonthespiritsmyselfandgrantthemtochildren,buttherewasnoneedforthat.But,Iamgladthere’sonlythreeleft.Transformingthespiritstakesupasurprisingamountofenergy.Ishouldbeabletomanagethreemore.ThemomentKenyastartedpraying–Imean,hehasn’tevenclosedhiseyesyet–lightbeganfallingfromthesky.What?That’samassofenergyfarlargerthantheonesthatappearedfortheothertwo.Andtherestoodahumanshapedspirit–aboy.

「Yo!How’slife?I’mgood.Ifeltlikecomingover,soIdid!」

Andextendedacasualgreeting.

「Ah,ahhhhh!!!You,whydidyoujustcometosomeone’shouseuninvited!」

Ramiris,hereyeswide,askedthatofthechildspirit.Seemsliketheyknoweachother.

「Yo,who’sthat?」

Tomyquestion,withoutwaitingforRamiris’introduction,

「O~su!Iamthespiritoflight!Unlikethatdepressingandfallendescendantofdarknessspirit,Iamapurespirit!」

Hesaid.Afterthusintroducingourselveswecontinuedthediscussion.Kenya,inapanic,wasstaringatus.Stopit,already.Afterlisteningtoourstory,andperhapsmaybebecauseKenyahadagooddispositiontowardslight…

「So,IdecidedtohelpKenya!」

Ishowithappened.Generally,lightanddarknessspiritshavethehighestsocialstanding,andarethehighestgradeofspirits.Seemslikehe’salsocapableofbestowingdivineprotectionontoheroes.Inthefirstplace,Ramirisandhimaresupposedtodothattogether,butthatrarelyhappens.

「Thelasttimeweblessedaherotogetherwas…what?Twothousandyearsago?」

Iswhathesaid.AfterRamirisgotreallyboredanddecidedtobecomeanevilspirit,bestowingdivineprotectionbecamehisjob.Apointlessdiscussion,butitseemsthatRamirishasinheritedher“self”frompreviousgenerations.Sheusedtoreignasthequeenoffairies,butafterreachingthepinnacleofpowerbeyondwhichshecouldnotprogressshedecidedtosplitherself.Andtoeachoneoftheseclone-childrenshegaveasenseofself.Thus,whentheywouldgrowuptheycouldperhapssurpasstheoriginal.Theflawbeing–theirweaknessduringchildhood.Aracethatcontinuouslystrovetogrowoutofweakness.Amongallthedemonlords,onlyshepossessessuchhereditaryabilities.RandomoutburstsofangerareexpectedfromtheselfishRamiris,buttheirrelationshipcanbedescribedinonlyoneword–terrible.Doesn’titseemlikemostofdemonlordsareselfish?Can’tsaythatallofthemarelikethat,butsofar…

「So,untilKen-changrowsup,I’llbeprotectingyou.Maybe,Ken-chan,youcanevenbecomeahero!」

Sayingso,andwithoutwaitingforpermission,heenteredKenya.MuchtooquicklyKenya’sbodycompletelystabilized.

「Sensei…」「Hmm?It’sokay.Allaccordingtoplan!」

Whoseplan!Iretorttomyself;justremember,me:ifyouletitgettoyou,youlose.Thingsaregoingsmoothly.ThoughKenyaseemedtodoubtmywordshedidbelievethefactthathisconditionstabilized.Afterreturningtotherestofthegroupheexplainedthesituationhimself.Somehow,heseemstohavematuredabit.

NextwouldbeRyouta.WhatspiritwouldtheweakwilledRyoutasummon?It’dbebadifhedoesn’tappear,Iworry.Justaspreviously,hebowedtopraybeforethealtar.Hewalkeddownthenarrowpathbyhimself.Seemedspiritedenough.Now,whatwillhappen?Immediately,anemeraldlightfellfromtheskydrawingthousandsofhelices.Beforeanythingstrangecouldhappen,Iateit.Accordingtotheanalysisit’swaterandwind.Atwo-elementspirit!You’vedonewell,Ryouta.Therestisupto『GreatSage』.

«Announcement.Transformationofthespiritusing『GreatSage』hasbeencompleted.Thecontentsarenowmostlyof『HeatManipulationAbility』and『TransformationAbility』Furthermore,afteranalyzingflamegiantIfrit,apseudo-humanpersonalityhasbeencreated.Correctiveabilityfromtheuniqueskill『GreatSage』hasbeenadded.Duetoexcellentaffinity,ithasfusedwith『Cloning』.Attemptedtoevolveinto『QuantumManipulation』.Failed.WillyoubestowthispoweronSekiguchiRyouta?[YES]/[NO]»

Cloningissomethingthatisverydifficulttousewithout『GreatSage』support.SoevenifIgrantittohimheprobablywon’tbeabletouseit.Well,whatever.Onthatnote,『QuantumManipulation』huh?Ihavenoideawhatsuchaskillcoulddo.Inthefirstplace,canitteachmethebasicconceptsoftheskill?I’dbehappyifitcould!IfIinvestigateditsconceptsImightbeabletoreplicateitseffects.Unlikethesystemofthisworldthatpeopleardentlystudy–magic,myabilitiesarefarmoreunreasonable.Thatis,ifIexplaintheconceptbehindaskillindepthtothe『GreatSage』itcouldcreateasystemtomakeitusable;well,what’simpossibleisimpossible,however.Perhapsthat’swhytheevolutionhadfailed.Inanycase,IwasabletosuccessfullybestowthespiritontoRyouta.Andso,onlyonepersonleft.

Thelastperson,Chloewasveryafraidtowalkthere,soIcarriedherover.Shewasveryhappy.Seemslikesheliedaboutherfear.

「Umm,sensei,..I…Il-loveyou!!!」

Redtoherearsshesotoldme.Ialsolikeher.Ifshechooses,ofcourse,tosaythesameaftereight…notenyears.IwishIhadsuchaprobleminmypastlife…Apitifulexistence,notadaytogetherwithagirlfriend,apitifulman.However,asaresultIwasabletoacquirethewonderful『GreatSage』skill.Soit’safairtrade…probablynot.Buthownice.Childrenaresohonest.That’ssomethingtheycanonlydowhentheyareinschool.Well,pastmiddleschooltheyareoftentooembarrassedtosayanythingthough.Butitwasnevertoolateforme.Imean,ifsomethingneverevenstarted,itcan’tbetoolate.

Butlet’sforgetaboutmeforasecond.Unfortunately,Ibecamealittleflustereduponhearingherwords.Now,whatkindofspiritwillshesummon.She’sthelastone.Notatimeforfailure.

Likeeveryoneelse,shebowedtopray.That’swhenthingsstartedtochange.

ShouldIcallitthat…?Forexample,somethingdidfallfromthesky.Anoppressiveaura,andabeautifulgirlwithsilver-blackhair.Ithadthevitalityunbefittingaspirit.Isshesomeastralexistence?Abandonedherfleshandlivesasamassofenergy.Ratherthanaspirit,sheradiatessomeformofsoulenergy.Atthisrate,shewilldissipate.Topreventherdissipation,sheeitherneedssomethingtobindhersoul,ortoreincarnateintosomebody.Withoutabody,we’dneedtocreatesomesystemforkeepingherhere.Whichisn’tsimpleevenforahighlevelspirit…Thatgirl(?)…celestialmaidensuddenlysawmeandgrabbedontome.Andlockedherlipsaroundmine.Unfortunately,asaghost,shehasnotexture.Arealshame.Suchabeautifulgirl,evenifshewasaghost…Iwouldnever!Imean,what’sgoingon?!Thecelestialmaiden,withalookfullofdisappointment,movedtotouchChloe.

「Stop!!!Iwon’tletyou!Iwon’tletyoudoasyouplease!」

Suddenly,Ramirisheldupbothofherhands,preparedforcombat.Unlikeherusualfrivolousappearance,hereyeswerecompletelyseriousthsitime.AblacklightcoveredherhandswhichsheshotoutatChloe.IjumpedinfrontofChloetoprotecther,anditabsorbedintomybody.〈Annihilation〉magicofinstantdeath…It’shardtobelieve,butsheseriouslyintendedtokillher.

「H-hey!Whatwasthatfor!」

「Shutup!!!She’sdangerous!Don’tyousee?!」「Idon’t?!What’sdangerous?」

Whilewewerebusyarguing,thecelestialmaidenoverlappedwithChloeanddisappeared.Quickly,IverifyChloe’sstatus.Thecollapsehasstopped.Noproblem,right…?

「Ooooo!Mou!Toolate.Igiveup…Idon’tevencareanymore!」

Puffinghercheeks,Ramirisshouted.Noideawhatjusthappened.

「That’swhyI’masking…whatwasthat?」

Ramirisdidnotrespondtomyquestion.Chloeopenedhereyesandappearedcompletelyoblivioustoourworries.WhenIaskedheragain,

「Idon’tknow!Ihaveabsolutelynoidea,But,thatwasprobablysomethingborninthefuture.Somethingthatcamefromthefuture,andnotaspirit.Didshepossessthatgirltogivebirthtoherself?Ahh…..Idon’tknow!!!But,thatwassomethingtrulypowerful.Ifthatisborninthefuture,it’llcausemanyproblems.That’sthefirsttimeI’veseensuchabeing.That…maybethatwasthespiritoftime…」

Hmph.Don’tlookatme.Igaveuptryingtounderstand.Well,whatever.Chloeisperfectlyfine.It’spointlesstoconsiderthefuturewehavenocontroloverrightnow.

「Goodforyou,Chloe!Youtoowereabletoavoiddanger!」

Isaid,liftingherupintheair.Chloesmiledhappily.

Ramiris,lookingatus,couldonlysigh.

「Well,Iguessit’sfine.TherewasnothingmoreIcoulddosincethemomentitpossessedthegirl…」

Shesaid,andturnedawayfromus.

「Ithinkeverythingwillbefine.Chloeisfineandall.Bytheway,thanks.Thankstoyou,thechildrenaresafe!」

WhenwereturnedtothegroupIthankedRamiris.Thechildrenshoweredherinthanks.

「Ba!That’senough,already!」

Herfacered,shetriedtoshakeofftheembarrassment.Thisisademonlord…what’stheworldcomingto?TheotherfairiesflewnexttoRamiriscreatingabeautifulsight.Inordertoblessthechildrenwhoavoidedthatdreadedfate…Tolightthefireofhappinessintheirhearts.Andnaturally,asmileformedonthekids’faces.

Andso,Iwasabletosavethekids.

Chapter64-LastdaysintheRoyalCapital

NowthatIcanrestinpeacewithregardstothechildren’shealth,Idecidedthatitwastimeforustoreturn.WhenItoldRamiristhatwewereleavingandturnedtodoso,

「Wait!Heeeey,wait!」

Shegrabbedandpulledmebythecollar.Beingstrangledfeelsprettynasty.EvenifIdon’tneedtobreathe,itisnotapleasantfeeling.

「What?Pickingafight?」「Amnot!Ihelpedyousoshouldn’tyoushowyourgratitudesomehow?Ofcourse,youappreciationisthanksenough?Butasafellowperson…?」「Ah,mybad.I’mnotapersonafterall!So…I’moff!」

Iquicklyretorted.

「Uwaaaaa~,wait,wait!Hey,youknow,we’reintrouble!‘Causeyoudestroyedthegolemwelostourguardian!Lookatus,we’reallkidshere!Reallyweak,youknow?THE-RE-FORE!We’reintrouble!Can’tyoudosomethingaboutthat?」「…..」

Hmph.Whatapain.Icouldsimplysay“youreapwhatyousow”butitistruethatIwastheonetobreakit.WhydidIhavetovaporizeitwithoutatrace…Well,IguessitistruethatIwenttoofarthere.Eventhoughdemonicsteelisexcellentagainstdemonicabilities,it,aseveryothermetal,hasameltingpoint.Soit’snotasurprisethatitmelted.Inthefirstplace,Ididthinkthatwith『GreatSage』-sensei,Iwouldbefineregardless;andthat’showitturnedout.

Ireallyshouldhavedroppedtheoutputabit…Nowthen,inplaceofthegolem…Icouldcompensatethemwithdemonicsteel,butIfeelthatwouldbeawaste.JustimagininghowmuchIwouldneedtogivetomakeagolemthatsizemakesmedizzy.Hmph…ShouldImakeahumansizeddollandhavethespiritspossessit?

«Solution.VerifiedcommandCreate:Golem.Creationpossible.Abilitiescanbeaddedthroughaspiritorademon.Theoutwardappearancewillbeaccordingtoyourimagination.Pleasedecideonasummoningtargetwhencreatingthegolem.»

Waytogo『GreatSage』.Seemslikeitpulledtheappropriatespellfromthousandsofmagicarchivesinaninstant.Arelativelysimplemagic.SummoningmagicIfirstsawduringtheadventurerexamandhavebeenanalyzingiteversince.So,allIneedtodecideiswhethertouseademonoraspirit.Aspirit,asthepreviouscaseshaveshown,tendtowithoutapersonality.Soademon?Frankly,thoughtheirnamemakesthemsoundlikeabackstabbingbunch,theyaren’tlikethatatall.Thankstothesummoningcontracttheycannotbetraythesummoner.Well,aslongasitisreasonable.Anyrequestbeyondtheoriginalcontractannulsit.SuchanacttestifiesthatthepartiesinvolvedarenotsatisfiedwitheachotherButIguessit’swrongtolabeldemonsaseviljustbecausetheyaredemons.So,let’smakeagolemusingdemonicsteelandsummonusademon.Frankly,IshouldbeabletomakeanitemfarstrongerthananyA-rankedmonsteraround.

「Igotit,Igotit.You’renoisy,Rami-chan.Listenup,I’llmakeyouaguardian,sonomorecomplains.Ascompensation,teachmeabitabouttheGhostResearcherslateron!GrandpaKaijininmycityisdeeplycuriousaboutthem.HewasworkingontheGhostResearchergolembefore!」

「That’snoproblem,I’lltellyouaboutthemanytime!Whatkindofgolemwillyoumake?」「Hmm?Ah,astrongeronethantheoneIdefeated…」「Seriously?!You…youaresonice!」「I…guess.Oh,I’llmakeit,butyoucan’tuseitforevildeedsoranything?I’llplaceamasterlockonitsothatit’sonlyusableforyourdefense!」「Okay,okay!Noproblem!Butwecanplayaroundwithitinhere,right?」「Hmm?Ah…aslongasitsinhere.Butdon’tgocausingtrouble,okay?Andbytheway,accordingtomy(GreatSage’s)predictions,it’llturnoutreallypowerful!Ifhandledpoorlytherewillbevictims,okay?」

Isaid,andbeganpreparations.Itookoutdemonsteelfrommystomachandstackedthemup.Havingswamaroundinmymagicalenergyforalongtime,thesteelisofexcellentquality.Thechildren,interested,crowdedaroundtowatch.

「He–,wheredidyoupullthatfrom…Idon’tevenknowanymore…!」

Ramirisstartedtosaysomethingbutgaveuphalf-way.Bythelooksofit,shegaveupnotjustontheconversation…WhenIwaspleasedwiththeitemsItookout,Igottowork.

SpreadingmyarmsIbegantochantaspell.Consideringthatthereisanaltarupahead,thismayprovedangeroussoIhadthekidsstepback.SoonlyRamirisisstandingbehindme.Nowthen,Ihopeitsucceeds,butI’llbehappyaslongasitdoesn’trampage.I’veusedupquitealotofpowertoalterthespirits.Inananswertomychant,amagiccirclebegantoformonthefloor.OhandIdon’treallyneedthechant,Ijustfeltitmatchedtheatmosphere.FromwithingthemagiccircleaGreaterDemonappeared.Kneelingbeforeme,facingtheground,

「Haveyoucalledme,mygreatmaster!」

Itsaid.AGreaterDemon.Idon’tknowifthereareindividualdifferencesbetweenthem,butit’sfarmoremuscularthanthelesserdemon.Itsskinisblack,garbedinexpensiveclothing.Unknowngender.Frombothsidesofitshead,hornsprotrude.Bytheway,dodemonsevenhavemuscles?Ah,whatever.

「Yup.Ihavecallednoneotherthanyou.IwantyoutopossessthegolemIwillmake.Paymentismymagicalenergy.Thelengthofthecontractis…」

IlookatRamirisforananswer,

「Ahundredyears!InahundredyearsIwillfinallygrowup!」

Iswhatshesaid.

「Lengthofthecontractis100years.Afterwards,youcankeepthebodyorthrowitaway.Howaboutit?」

HadIsaidsomethinglike“Defeattheonebeforeyou!”,thecontractwouldhavebeenannulled.Anyways,whatatroublesomethingthelengthofthecontractis!Whennearby,I’llhavetorefillhismagicalenergysupply,andmakesurehedoesn’ttrytoreincarnate.AndaslongasIwatchoverthisbeing,Icannotsummonanother….well,thereisawayaroundthatrule.Butfornow,Ineedhimtoprotectthefairieshere.Solet’sexplaintohimhisduties.

「Thatmuchissimple,mygreatmaster!AndIhavealreadyreceivedthepayment.」

Huh?TheenergyIusedinsummoningisenough?Well,hedidtakequiteabitalready.ButIhaveplentytogoaround.Inanycase,itseemslikeslowlysummoninghimwasagoodidea.Asaresult,heshowsduerespect.

HadIofferedlittleenergyintheprocessitmighthavetriedtokillme–butthatkindofthingcanbefixedwithapropercontract.Justtobesafe,let’smakesureweproperlysummonthingsandmakepropercontracts.Well,thecontractportionaside,allthat’sleftisthegolem.Istartworkingonthedemonicsteel.Adollnecessarilyusessphericaljoints.Thatmuchcannotbeavoided.Butsurprisingly,it’scomingoutjustasIhadimaginedit.Inmypreviouslife,Iwasjealousofmyfriendswhocouldmakefigurinesfromscratch.Unfortunately,thebesttheclumsyIcoulddowasputtogetheramodel.However,Ihavechanged!Thanksto『GreatSage』’scorrection,it’scomingoutjustasIhadimagined.“Whatchadoing?”Ramirispeekedovermyshoulder,andstartedmakingnoise.

「Wha!What!Thisisamazing!Whatskill!Youareseriouslyamazingyouknow!Canyoureallymakesuchathingmove?」

Shewasveryexcited.ButevenI,thecreator,believedIcouldmakeitwithsuchprecision.Chancesare,thefactthatIamusingpuredemonicsteelallowedmetoshapeitasIwanted.Thegreaterdemonlookingfromafar,uponrealizingthatitishisbodyinthemaking,showedafaceofpleasantsurprise.Probably…Ican’treaddemon’sexpressionswell.

「Wonderful,asexpectedofmymaster.Honestly,inordertomovethegolemallthatisneededistodirectmagicalenergyintothejoins.Shouldthatbedone,thegolemwillmove.Whatawonderfulbodyhasbeenmadeforme!」

Sincehe’shappy,Iguessthebodyfits.Aftertakingthedemon’sandRamiris’requestsintoconsideration,Ifinishedthegolem.

ImadethefacelooklikethemaskIalwayswear;thegolemwasaslargeasahuman.180cmtalltobeprecise.ForthelargeGreaterDemonitmusthaveseemedtiny,butIguessthatwasn’taproblem.Thus,Isuccessfullyfinishedthegolem.TheGreaterDemonwasabletopossessitwithoutanyproblem.Bytheway,themeltingpointformostrareresourcesisaround5,000degress.DemonicSteelcanwithstandtemperaturesupto9,900degrees.Furthermore,itcanregenerate–inaword,it’ssuperb.Sohonestly,destroyingthisgolemwillprovereallydifficult.

「Howdoyoufeel?」「Yes.Wonderful…myoverallstrengthhasrisen.Comparedtoincarnatingintoamonsterorahuman,therawpoweraside,defensiveabilitiesarefarsuperior.Howwonderful!!!Thisisanamazingbody!!!」

Hereportedafterverifyingthebody’sabilities.Inordertostayinthisworldademonneedsabody;animalsandmonstersareoftenusedtothatend.Instead,Igavehimamagicallycreateddoll,butthatdoesn’tseemtohavecausedanyproblem.Perhapsherecognizeditasamonster.Afterthoroughlyinvestigatingthebody,hefacedmeonhisknees,and

「IhopetoprovemyusefulnesstoYouwiththisbody!AfterIhaveprotectedthefairiesforahundredyears,pleaseallowmetoserveunderyou!」

Hesuddenlysaid.Ahundredyearsfromnow…willIbealivethenornot,Imyselfdon’tknow.

「WouldIevenbealivethen?」「Hahaha,whatagoodjoke!Whatcouldamerehundredyearsdotosomeoneofyourcaliber,mymaster?Ifyouonlypromisemethis,Iwillneverbotheryouwithanotherpayment!」

Thatbeingsaid,justhowlongismylifespan?Ihaven’tthoughmuchaboutthat…ah,whatever.However,heseemsveryattached.AmIampredisposedtobelovedbymonstersorsomething?Nowthen…aname…Idon’thavemuchenergyremaining.Judgingbypreviouscases,ahighrankingmonsterwillabsorbalotofenergy.AndthisisaGreatDemon,andahighrankingoneamongthem.Ifanything,he’satleastrankA-,butwithabodyhe’sdefinitelyatleastArank.So,consideringallthedemonicsteelIusedtocreatethebody,he’swayoverrankA.Ah…shouldbefine,right?Istillhaveover40%left,afterall.

「Alright!Inthatcase,youshallbeknownasBerettafromnowon!Iacceptyourloyalty!YoufirstjobwillbetoguardtheRamiriesandthefairiesforahundredyears.Iexpectyourbesteffort!」

Ibestoweduponhimsuchaname.Hisbeautifulformremindedmeofthefamousweapon.Andthenmyenergywassuckedout.Butthistime,Ihadenduredit.Barelyaboveempty.Thisguy,managedtoabsorb30%byhimself…That’salot.Andafterbeingnamedbyme,hestartedtoevolve.Seemslikethetimeuntilevolutionstartshasalsogottenshorter.Hefirstformedintoacircle,butthenchest,head,hips,arms,andlegsformed,alongwithaface.Lookingjustlikeahuman.Agender-lesshuman.Hisexpressionwasnowhiddenbehindamaskand,insteadoftheblackskin,longblackhairnowadornedhisbody.Theskinwaspale,andbloodless.Astobeexpectedfromadoll.Asthetransformationbegantostop,clothingappeared.Theeyeslitsonthemaskglowedcrimson.Seemsliketheevolutionhasended.Now,Iwanderwhatabilitiesithadinheritedfromme?Itsappearancehasbecomeveryhuman-like.Seemslikethebodywasperfectedalongwiththeevolution.

Andwhatabeautifulbodyithadbecome.But,theexpressionthatwashiddenbythemaskwasnotofasympatheticbeing,butadollofdestruction.Onlydeathwouldawaitthosewhohaveseenhisexpression.Toall,otherthanthemaster,ofcourse.

Berettastoodup,andonceagainboweddeeplybeforeme.

「Mygreatmaster.IamtheArkDollBeretta.Wholivesandbreathestofulfillyourwill!」

And,afterbowingagain,heturnedtoRamiris.

「Ascommandedbymymaster,Ishallprotectthee.」

Hedeclared.Ramiris,asifoverwhelmedbyhispresence,noddedtimidly.

「Ah,yeah!I’llbeinyourcare!Doprotectus!」

Afterregaininghercomposure,shesosaid.So,yeah?Iguessthat’sagoodenoughsubstituteforthegolem.Atleasttwiceasstrong.ThismuchshouldsatisfyRamiris’request.ButitseemsIhavegottencarriedawayandusedmoredemonicsteelthanIhadintended.Whenmakingit,Ikeptdebatingaboutthisandthat,andendedupoverusingtheingredients.Soremember,Iwentthroughthetroubletomakeyou,soyoubetterbeuseful!

ThechildrenhavefallenasleepwhileIwasmakingthedoll.Theylivedintensionandfearthathasnowbeensuddenlyreleased.Theyheldwellupuntilnow,andcanfinallyrelax.So,theyaresleepinghappily,usingRangaasapillow.AndifIthinkaboutit,thoughIdon’tneedsleep,thechildrencertainlydo.Astheysay,yousleepwell,yougrowwell.Solet’swaituntilthechildrenwakeup.Untiltheydo,I’llalsorestup.

.

Thus,aftercreatingaguardianforthefairies,weleftthe『SpiritualDwelling』behind.Thechildrenhaveobtainedaspirit,theirbodieshavestabilized–allproblemssolved.OrsoIthought…

AsperYuuki’srequest,threemonthshavepassed.Ihavemanytimesdiscussedthechildren’sfuturewithhim.WehaveconsideredhavingTempesttakecustodyofthem,butfiguredtheyneedabetterlearningenvironment.Besides,theyarecurrentlyinaschoolwithmanyexcellentlecturers.It’salsoaplacewheretheycanstudymagic.Moreover,theythemselveshavechosentostudyhere.TheyhadthoughtthatI’dbestayingwiththem,sotheycriedwhenItoldthemaboutmydeparture.“I’llcomevisityouforgraduation!”Ipromisedthem.Ofcourse,we’llthrowaparty.Thoughlivingnexttothechurchmayrestricttheirfreedom,astheyarenow,they’lleasilydeceivethechurch.Themagicalpowernolongerleaks,andhasstabilizedaroundnormallevels.Norwillpeoplewithanalyzingabilitiesbeabletodiscoverthem.IhadaskedYuukiaboutthatonce.

「Atleast,threeyearsfromnow,whentheythinkthechildrendeadandburied,theyshouldbesafe」

Iftheystaypatientforthreeyearsthey’llbeabletodepartontheirown.Fornow,aslongastheycovertheirfaceswithamask,thereshouldn’tbeanyproblems.YuukihasmanytimesaskedmehowIhadsavedthem,butIdecidednottotellhim.Tohim,thechildrenseemasnothingmorethannormalcivilians.Andthat’sasitshouldbe.Theirpoweriscurrentlybeingbalancebyspiritualenergy;whenthatbalancesout,theymightacquiretheirownuniqueskill.Unlessotherproblemsappear,theyprobablydon’tneedtoknowabout

that.Besides,theymightnotevenacquireone.SoIdidn’ttellthekidsaboutthis.

Endingthematterwiththechildrenthus,Ispenttherestofthetimehavingfun.Havingapicnicforexample,orhangingaroundwiththethreeidiots.Mysalesarealsogoingwell,andwhenIhadvisitedMyormiles,inthemiddleofthesecondmonthhere,hewarmlywelcomedme.Thankstomyevolvedability『SpatialTravel』IcanimmediatelytransfertoaplaceIhadvisitedbefore.Itisfarfasterthanshadowstep.AndusingthegoldIreceivedfromhim,IboughtsomeMagicStonesfromYuuki.Thus,ourresearchwillseesomerealprogresssoon.Sodoingthisandthat,thethreemonthsintheRoyalCapitalpassed.

OnthedayIsetoffforhome,IleftthecryingchildrenandtheRoyalCapitalbehind.Itfeltshort,butIlivedquiteawhileinthehumancity.Thoughtheincidentwiththechildrenwastroublesome,Iwasabletobondwiththemasaresult.IhadneverthoughtthatI,whohadbecomeaslime,couldbefriendchildrenlikethem.AndImadeafortuenwiththesales.Ihadoncereturnedtothecitytoseelotsofadventurerscrowdingourstreets.Soeverythingisgoingwell.

…No,everythingwasgoingtoowell.

Inthisworld,jealousyandenvy,thefeelingsofaloser,creepintoone’sheartwhenyouleastexpectit.Ihadplannedtolivewithouteveryfeelingsuchemotions.However,ifyoumakeamistakeindata,youwillinevitablecometoawrongconclusion.As『GreatSage』says,ifthequestioniswrong,theanswerwillalsobewrong.IfTempestisprospering,therearepeoplewhocanmakemoneyoffofitfailing.

IhadthoughtthatIunderstoodthatfact,buthardlydidIknowhowmuchIunderestimatedthem.Andtheresult…

「Ihavebeensearchingforyou,Rimuru-san!」

WhenIhadlefttheRoyalCapital,avoicecalledouttome.OneofthepeopleworkingforYoumu,thedevilGrucius.Hewasstrugglingtocatchhisbreath,havingrunallthewayherenon-stop.Bythelooksofit,somethinghashappened.

「What’swrong?」

Tomyquestion,

「TheFarmasKingdom…hassenttroopstowardsTempest!」

Theworstcasescenariounfoldedbeforeme.“Happyeventsareoftenaccompaniedbyterribleones”isthatit?Evenso,thisistheworstpossiblescenario.IhadimmediatelydecidedtoreturntoTempest.

「Willyoucomewithme?」

WhenIasked,asifsomethinghadhappenedtoYoumu’sgroup,Gruciusgladlytookmeupontheoffer.Ibeganrapidtransfer.Thus,togetherwithGrucius,wetriedtransferringtoTempest.

…………

……

…

Sincebeingbornintothisworldasaslime,IhavelivedasIhadalwayswanted.MeetandspeakwithsomeWorldTravelers.

WhileIwasbusyfulfillingtrivialdesire,agreatstormloomedovermycity.SoeventhoughIsucceeded,Ihadalsofailed.AsacivilianthatIwas,Ihardlyhadanypracticeinpredictingthepoliticalmachinationsofcountries–hencetheresult.Thegearsoffatespunnefariously,leadingmeclosertomyfate.

Theeraofpeacehasnowpassed,andthetimeofwarhasbegun.

EndoftheLifeintheRoyalCapitalArc