Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN) - Volume 20 Chapter 2.2

At the Holy Empire of Lubelius, where Shion and Adalmann were sent.

I was sitting on the sofa, relaxing.

Next to me, Shion is proudly asking for more tea.

The ladies-in-waiting of Luminas responded to my request. Shion accepts it as a matter of course, and eats the tea set on the table, but I guess she has nothing to be nervous about.

What’s that? I should be in a better position than her, but this difference in reaction is strange, isn’t it?

Why am I the master of this place so nervous, while Shion, who is supposed to be my secretary, seems to be unconcerned…?

No, I can’t think about it.

“Rimuru-sama, these sweets are delicious. I’ve tasted it, please!

Shion offered it to me, and I popped it into my mouth.

I wondered what kind of a joke it was that Shion, who is not a good cook, was going to poison me, but it was OK. I don’t need to be poisoned, though, since poisons don’t work on me.

It sure tastes good.

Shion may not have the best sense of aesthetics, but he does have a good sense of taste.

That’s why I say it’s unreasonable…

Because, you know, he didn’t taste the food he made before serving it to us. Now that I’m working on perfecting the taste with Skill, the appearance and texture are still not good enough.

“How is it, is it good?”

“Yes, it is. It’s not too sweet and crisp, and I enjoy the way it loosens up in my mouth.”

This pastry is like a financier.

It was seriously delicious, with a subtle savory accent.

Shion heard my reply and broke into a big smile.

Then he dropped a bombshell.

“That was good! I was confident again, and I’m glad Rimuru-sama was pleased!”Hmm?

“Hmm?”

I stopped moving and stared at Shion.

There was the same smile as ever.

I turned my eyes to the sweets in my hand, and then looked at Shion again.

“Could this be…?”

“Yes! I made them.”

“It’s Uso, isn’t it ? Hey!

These statements were hard to believe, but they seemed to be true. It had been a long time since I saw Shion’s smug face, but I could forgive him for bragging about it.

Shion has finally conquered the look and the texture of the food.

By the way.

“Did you make this taste and shape with your skill?”

“No, sir. I made it with my own hands!

Shion was showing tremendous progress.

I guess the change of environment is very important.

Shuna and Benimaru had not been able to improve their skills no matter how many times Shion and Benimaru had told them to do so, but they have suddenly awakened since they came to another country.

But what was the trigger?

Just as I was thinking that, I heard a voice answering my question.

“I had a hard time.

Luminas came into the reception room blurting out that he had had a hard time.

Luminas greeted me as I was getting up from my seat, saying, “Sorry to keep you waiting,” and then he sat down on the sofa himself, as if there was no need to thank me.

Then he started to continue what he had just said.

“What’s the matter? You said you can cook with confidence, so I entrusted you to cook, and you prepared a novel-looking dish that is hardly food at all!

Luminas’ words are strong.

The word ” novelty ” is so heavy that I can’t help but get a little mystified.

“And what’s more! It’s hard to understand why the texture is so bad but the taste is so good. Some people are even trying to reproduce it for fun. I’m so worried about the negative impact on our food culture that even I (Ruminas voice) had to move in!

He seems to be very depressed and angry.

I couldn’t help but say, “Ugh ! I was at a loss for words to say back.

“But, I’m glad you were able to correct Shion. We had given up on you a long time ago.

When I tried to cover it up for the time being, Luminas gave me a glare.

Shion also looked at me with a disgruntled expression on her cheeks in protest. I pretended not to notice this and waited for Luminas’ answer.

“I can imagine how much you guys have spoiled Shion, but it is none of I’s (Ruminas voice) business. I (Ruminas voice) was going to leave it alone, but I can’t say so now that it has started to do some harm. So, I (Ruminas voice) told him.

“Oh?”

It may be a misnomer to say that I spoiled him, but it may seem so from the side.

It’s just that Shuna, but Benimaru and I couldn’t take a strong attitude toward Shion because we can’t cook.

I think it’s quite rude to point out to others what you can’t do.

So I was hoping that Shuna or Gobichi-kun would give me a bad advice…

Shuna was too kind. And he gave up too soon.

Gobichi-kun was too weak to reach Shion’s heart.

The taste had improved, and the death toll was not so high.

I should have tried cooking myself and tried to be close to Shion’s feelings, since I have a long slime life ahead of me. If I had done so, I might have found more things to be improved and this problem might have been solved earlier.

It was my fault and Benimaru’s fault that we turned our eyes away from our weak areas.

As I reflect on this, Luminas gives me an answer.

“It may be laced with poison, so taste it before serving it to our guests!”

I see…

So that’s why Shion said “poisoned” earlier.

That was indeed a good idea.

Shion doesn’t have a strange sense of taste.

If he gets into the habit of tasting the food himself, he would naturally realize the problem of the dish.

“You’re a brilliant man, Luminas.

I said, expressing my admiration from the bottom of my heart.

Luminas turned away and said, “Hmph! and turned away from me, his cheeks dyed with a little embarrassment.

*

There was an unexpected good news that Shion’s cooking would be improved, but it had nothing to do with the purpose of our visit.

Ramiris reported that the battle between Milim and the bugdemon Lord Zelanus was at a stalemate. At the same time, the capital of Lubelius, the seat of Luminas, was being attacked by angels from the sky.

Milim had sent Gobta and others to reinforce him, so it seemed safe to assume that he would be safe for the time being. With Milim there, they should be able to handle the situation as long as it was not too much trouble.

On the other hand, Luminas, although he had sent Shion and Adalmann to support him, was not sure about his strength.

After all, the Holy Knight Order, which is the key to the strength of the Luminas, had been placed in the Kingdom of Ingracia with Hinata, the leader of the Holy Knight Order, at the head. Luminas also has a force called Bloody Knights, which consists of vampires, but it has only less than 400 members.

The strength of the Bloody Knights is Over A rank individually, and there are several “Surmounters” who are comparable to a bad “Demon Lord Seed”. The quality of the team is quite high. Even so, I could not remain silent when I heard that Jahil had been confirmed.

So I left the cleanup at the Kingdom of Ingracia to Hinata and Masayuki, and came here in a great hurry. And yet, there was already no sign of a fight, and I was led here, tasting Shion’s sweets and waiting for Luminas to come.

However, it had been only a few minutes at most before Luminas appeared on the stage. I was so surprised by Shion’s progress that I spent more time talking with him.

So I changed my mind and got down to the main topic.

“So, how did the battle with the angels go?

“They retreated, so there was no serious damage. It seems that attacking here was not part of the plan in the first place.

Luminas gave me a detailed account of the situation.

As it turned out, it seems that the attack on this place was a runaway attack by Jahil.

Or, as he put it, he was being harassed.

“He and I (Ruminas voice) have a history. He and I (Ruminas voice) have a history of disagreements.

Luminas said.

When I asked him what he meant, he did not tell me, but when I told him that Silvia-san had told me some of the story, he told me with a disgusted look on his face.

First of all, Luminas had a father figure.

Twilight Valentine.

A mythical being whose name means “King of the Twilight.

It is said that this Twilight created many intelligent life forms, and that some of the founders of these life forms became known as the Godfather’s High Disciples.

The first of them was Jahil.

The second was Luminas, as Silvia-san had told me.

Each of the disciples of the godfathers established their own country.

In Silvia-san’s case, it seems that he himself only supported and helped his fellow high elf, but in the end, the elf was united by his daughter, Elmesia the Celestial, who is called Eltan, and the Sorcerer’s Dynasty of Sarion was born. In the end, the elf was united by her daughter, Elmeia the Celestial, and the Sorcerer’s Dynasty of Sarion was born.

Incidentally, Silvia-san and Luminas are said to have a secret friendship even now. It is said that Silvia-san has nothing to do with Ertan, but is only known to Luminas.

“Basically, I don’t think we should interfere with Sarion,” says Luminas. But I did help him out in the beginning.

This is what he said.

Since Sarion was founded more than 2,000 years ago, we do not know if Luminas’ story is true or not. However, there is no reason for them to lie, since Luminas and Silvia-san are like a living person.

I was convinced that it was probably true, and listened to the rest of the story.

I was told that Luminas and Silvia-san are the only two of his disciples who are still alive today. At least, no one else seems to be in contact with them.

The ancestor of King Gazel, the founder of the High Dwarfs, is said to have died, and the founders of the Fire Spirits (Enki) and the Water Spirits (Sirens) have probably reached the end of their lives. It seems that the only people who lived long lives were the high elf, which is close to spirits.

Speaking of longevity, the high humans are the most likely to have lived a long life.

This race was created purely by reversing the attributes of the ancestors.

“I hate to admit it, but I (Ruminas voice) am a kind of duplicate of the Ancestor, not strictly speaking a vampire but a high blooded princess. She was born from the blood of the Ancestor. And Jahil is created by cultivating the body of the Goddess. He does not seem to have inherited the power to absorb power from others, but he, too, was a near-immortal being.

The god ancestor did not need to eat, but deprived others of their life force to sustain itself. He had no particular weakness and was the embodiment of immortality. The two replicas of the Gods were the high human, a race that lives in the daytime, and the vampire, the ruler of the night.

Living in the daytime is a metaphor.

Plants produce energy through photosynthesis, and animals sustain life by eating them. Predation of the animals, predators store large amounts of energy, and the earth is enriched by the decomposition of their corpses by microorganisms. The role of the high human is given to the person who stands at the top of the Food Chain.

In other words, the high human is a part of the Food Chain. Therefore, it is impossible to escape from life span, and Jahil was no exception.

The average lifespan of a normal person living in an urban area is about seventy years old. This is the case without any magical means to prolong life. Although medical care is not well developed, people seem to live longer than expected because of magical cures.

People living in rural areas or in areas adjacent to monster forests seem to have a shorter average life expectancy. I should also add that these figures are calculated without including deaths due to numerous disasters.

On the other hand, high humans seem to live several hundred to nearly a thousand years, which is equivalent to that of the long-eared (elf) people. It seems that their physical strength is different from that of the present humans, and they have a high tolerance to magicule, so they could have successfully taken in and used it.

Even so, we cannot escape our life span as long as our bodies are not immortal…

That is why Jahil devised a method to extend his own lifespan indefinitely.

It was the “secret of spiritualization.

If the three elements of the body, material body, spiritual body, and astral body, cannot be maintained at the same time, he thought it would be better to inherit only the lowest element that can maintain the ego.

In other words, Jahil succeeded in converting the material body into the spiritual body in order to preserve only the spiritual body and the astral body.

Thus, Jahil was reborn as a spiritual life form of his own will.

The mystic art of Reincarnation developed by Gadra is very dangerous because it is a secret technique to reincarnate a soul while protecting it with an astral body. However, the body obtained is completely one’s own, and all the experience and knowledge are inherited.

Razen’s great secret art: Possession only transfers the spiritual body and the astral body to another person’s body, but does not inherit any skills that are fixed in the body. It is highly secure, but it is incomplete, because mana is dependent on the body and may become weak.

On the other hand, Jahil’s “secret of spiritualization” was perfect. Since Jahil himself is a spiritual organism, he can safely and surely inherit the knowledge, experience, and all the powers he has gained.

“It is necessary to prepare a body as a surrogate, but it seems that he could have obtained such a body from his own blood relatives as much as he wanted. Thus, Jahil solved the problem of longevity,” Luminas said bitterly.

Luminas told me bitterly.

Well, if he had become a spirit life form, it makes sense that he was nearly immortal. I now understood that this was the reason why he had been able to take over Footman so easily.

“But he made a big mistake, too, because of his pride.

Luminas told me that while Jahil was absorbed in his own research, his subordinates who were in charge of politics began to compete with each other for supremacy, and before long the country was divided.

Eventually, the country was doomed by the mistake of summoning Guy, an uncontrollable demon.

“He resented I (Ruminas voice) for destroying the ancestors and harbored enmity toward him. I was glad to think that they died on their own. I didn’t think that he would survive until the present time and resurrect with such abominable power.

Yes.

Luminas had killed his father, the godfather.

Jahil had a grudge against Luminas for that reason.

He was a pain in the ass.

“Well. It’s so troublesome that my Benimaru is having a hard time with it.

As I was giving Luminas some advice, Shion overheard me and interrupted me.

“What? Benimaru lost ? ”

Perhaps he was surprised, but it was assumed that Benimaru had lost. I think I told this story to all the executives, but I wonder if it has been lost in Shion’s memory.

Well, it seems like Shion.

“I’m not defeated.

I corrected Shion’s words on Benimaru’s honor.

In my opinion, if you don’t die, you win…but in reality, you only managed to make it to the end of the time.

If the fight had continued as it was, there was no doubt that Benimaru would have lost. There was no doubt that Benimaru was a threat.

“I see, then Luminas-sama who defeated such an opponent is stronger than Benimaru, isn’t he?

That’s right.

That’s what I was wondering, too.

No, in my opinion, there is not such a big difference in strength between Luminas and Benimaru.

That’s why I thought Luminas and Benimaru were in danger, and that’s why I rushed to the scene. I also wanted to know how Luminas had defeated Jahil.

“So that’s what this is about,” Luminas said.

Luminas began to talk casually.

“I (Ruminas voice) have an experience that some evil dragon destroyed my city…”

Boom !

This sounds like something I’ve heard somewhere… no, it sounds like something I’ve received many complaints about…

“When building a city, the first priority is to ensure safety.”

I see. I think that’s an excellent idea…”

I couldn’t help but take a polite tone, but I chose to be pleased without hesitation here.

Luminas took a cold look at me, and then continued the conversation as if he was relieved.

“I had set up several layers of ‘barriers’ against the evil dragon, and they worked well.

Now that you mention it, I remember that there were indeed many layers of ‘Defense Barriers’ in this sacred place. We were allowed to pass through, but no one suspicious could get through.

I didn’t think it was that strong. Jahil had the power to overpower Benimaru and seemed to control the Ultimate Skill. I knew that a half-hearted ‘Barrier’ would not work, though not as well as Veldora.

I said honestly.

Luminas snickered.

“Don’t you dare! This is a sacred place for those who believe in I (Ruminas voice), whereas other places are not so sacred. With faith that springs from the infinite, it is easy to repel the power of Jahil.

His words were confident, and in fact, the results proved to be true.

But so easy?

” – Applying the Secret of Faith and Grace, it should be theoretically possible. So.. .”

Luminas has worked on a theory until it becomes a reality.

I’m amazed, I’m afraid. I can’t even imagine how hard it is for me now.

“It is not a work that can be done only by an individual. It is necessary to know the hearts of believers and to understand each other. It is impossible to achieve it overnight, but do you also want to achieve it? ”

Well, I don’t know.

It’s not only my problem…

Let’s put it on hold for now.

Ciel-san seems to agree with my answer.

In fact, there are many other projects that are left untouched, though they seem to be useful in many ways.

Moreover, we are still in the middle of a war, so we cannot afford to face the residents of our country.

We put this matter on the back burner for the time being as a future issue.

*

Now that we know the reason why Luminas was able to survive, the problem is not yet solved.

Rather, the real work is yet to come.

“So, Dagruel has turned. They are on the march now, so I think we will be in contact with them within a week at the latest.”

I told Luminas the truth.

He said that Dagruel’s brother, Fenn, had done something to him and that he had become a changed man.

I didn’t actually see Dagruel, but I learned it from Ultima’s report, but from a distance, Dagruel seemed to be wearing an evil haki.

The army of giants following such Dagruel was also ominous, so I expected that the battle would be quite fierce when the time came to fight.

Jahil was a kind of a starter, and Dagruel was the main objective.

They were marching on foot, but it would not take them long to reach here, judging from the way they were marching through the “Deadly Desert”.

Frankly speaking, Dagruel’s defection is painful.

I had assumed this possibility, but when it became a reality, it was too much of a headache.

“Well, Dagruel and I (Ruminas voice) have been on bad terms for a long time. Dagruel and the goddess were on good terms, although the conflict of interest was one of the reasons.

“Oh, come on, after Jahil, is God ancestor also the cause of the disagreement with Dagruel ? ”

“Yes. Well, it’s a done deal.

Luminas says this without seeming to care.

Apparently, this is a story from the time when Dagruel was called an evil god. So Luminas doesn’t seem to mind, but if that’s the case, it seems as if Dagruel is trying to settle his grudge right now…

“Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up in a head-on war with him.

Having said that, I think Dagruel is really strong.

Maybe, but even I would have a hard time…

“No way.”

-but Ciel-san seems to have a different opinion.

Well, that’s all right. I don’t mean to argue with you here.

I don’t want to be a fool who underestimates the enemy and loses, so I have to determine that the threat is at a level that I will have a hard time with, and I have to think of a countermeasure.

“Yes, sir . ”

I am glad to hear that you agree.

Now, let’s think about what we should do.

From the geopolitical viewpoint, Holy Empire of Lubelius is the key to defend the western part of the country.

If it is defeated, it will gain a foothold to the Western Nations, and the situation will be tilted.

The army of angels can fly, and there is no way to intercept them at any point. Fortunately, the army of giants is on foot.

It was much faster than walking, and perhaps because they used some kind of legion magic, their average speed was 30 km/h, which is unthinkable for a normal army, but it was still better than being attacked from the sky.

The distance from Damargania, the base of Dagruel, to here, the holy city of Rune, is about 2,000 kilometers in a straight line. Even if we assume that we do not bypass the barren lands and the deadly deserts, the distance to be traveled is about 3,000 kilometers.

Even by simple calculations, it would take more than four full days to reach the destination.

Since they would need to take a rest, it would normally take more than three times as long…but from what I recall from the glimpses of their march, it seemed that they would come without a break.

In the meantime, I’ve been keeping an eye on them with the Argus spell. If there is any change, I should be able to detect it.

“Argus” is easy to fool. We can’t deny that a cautious enemy might be taking countermeasures.

You’re right, aren’t you?

Argus is a magic to see what’s going on in the area in real time, so there’s no way to confirm if the scene has been tampered with.

Of course, I’m taking countermeasures on the assumption that I’m being watched. So, if the enemy can manipulate the same kind of magic, we should assume that they have some kind of countermeasures.

Of course, I might just be worrying too much…but in any case, I was sure that we must not let our guard down.

There was something else to worry about.

The story that we were able to intercept Jahil, I think we should not take it at face value. Since the objective of the mission was to turn Dagruel, it would have been logical to attack Luminas between them if they were to defeat him.

The reason why they did not do so is probably because of Jahil’s outburst.

I heard that Luminas has a history with Jahil, and he might have had some kind of plan, but from what I heard, I thought that Jahil’s outburst, in other words, might have caused confusion in the enemy’s chain of command.

Luminas has a considerable amount of power, but if they were sandwiched between an army of giants attacking from the west and an army of angels from the sky, they would be helplessly overrun.

It seems to me that the enemy was not consistent when they did not do so.

Anyway, since I had arrived in time, I wanted to be in a perfect position to intercept the Dagruel forces before they arrived.

So, how much time do we have left?

“Assuming that we maintain our marching speed, we can expect Dagruel’s army to arrive in four days at the earliest. Hinata and the others will be back soon, but just in time for the decisive battle, I’d say.

“Hmm. At worst, I’d like to call Hinata back immediately…”

“Ingracia. I left the cleanup in King’s Landing to you and came here as soon as I could. I have to escort the important people of each country, and it will be difficult until I finish the handover.”

It is not only Hinata, but also calling the Holy Knight Order back would be a good idea.

Ingracia is still not safe with Masayuki. They have defeated Feldway, but the next attack may be a full-scale one.

Well, Masayuki has Velgrynd-san, and Testarossa is still there. The Imperial generals seem to be surprisingly reliable, and the situation is probably better than ours, so I think we can withstand anything that happens.

“Hmmm, yes. Hinata is representing the Western Holy Church, so it’s not too much to ask.

Reluctantly, Luminas agreed with me.

If we selfishly called Hinata back at this point, it might be perceived that the Holy Church had abandoned the Western Nations. If that happens, the trust we have built up would be lost at once.

If things were really at their worst, it might be inevitable, but I am here to prevent that from happening.

“Well, I’ve brought Gadra, one of my men, with me, so he should be discussing the defense with Adalmann by now. He’s not as good as Hinata, but he’s dependable, so I don’t think you need to worry that much.

When I said this, Luminas gave me an indignant glare.

“You are too optimistic! You don’t know the horror of Dagruel, that’s why you can talk so carelessly.

No, no, no, I think Dagruel is dangerous, too.

It’s just that Ciel-san’s easy-going attitude makes me feel relieved and relaxed.

I don’t like to be called a “no-bullshit” person, but I think I’ll be a snake if I talk back to him.

I swallow my complaint in a mature manner and move on to the next topic before he can make any more comments.

“Anyway, let’s check the strength of the team,” I suggested.

I suggested.

I don’t expect him to tell me everything honestly because it is a military secret of another country. Even so, if we don’t ask them, we can’t even plan a proper operation.

So I asked him the most important question.

“Let me ask you frankly, how many “Surmounters” are there?”

This is quite rude, but this is the most important question.

After all, since we cannot rely on the Holy Knight Order’s captains, we really want to know what we can expect from them.

From this point onward, it is better not to count those who are less than A rank in the strength. Especially if you have seen Carrera and so on, I even thought that it would be better not to bring them to the battlefield, if they would be wiped out by a single shot of a large-scale magic.

In fact, the Holy Empire of Lubelius has announced the existence of a main force of Templar Knights, consisting of knights who believe in Luminism, as its defense force.

Their number is 10,000.

But, but…

I’m sorry to say it, but from my point of view, they’re just as good as the others.

If we consider them in the category of human beings, they are strong, but I can only see a future in which they will be kicked out in front of Dagruel.

Of course, it depends on the operation, but my character does not allow me to consider a soldier as a mere number.

This is not a game, and we should aim for zero casualties.

In that case, I would like to have only the main force to do the fighting, and the others to assist.

I wanted them to fulfill their duty to protect the holy place as ‘Barrier’ maintenance personnel.

Luminas seemed to have understood my thinking.

“Seven are the most promising. The demon lord’s army, which I (Ruminas voice) have entrusted to his shadow, has established a ruling system of seven great nobles, with Roy, or rather Louis, as the top king.

Oh, this is more impressive than I expected.

I am surprised that Mr. Surmounter, who is a good friend of Vesta’s, is one of the seven nobles.

By the way, Gunther-san, the butler of Luminas, is not included in the seven names.

“This Gunther is also one of the high disciples of the god ancestor. In other words, he and I (Ruminas voice) are like a sister and brother.

I am in awe of your words. I, Luminas-sama, am far behind.”

Luminas introduced Gunther-san, who was preparing more tea for us. I knew him well and thought he was quite strong, but when he told me who he was, I was convinced.

He also told me that Louis was also a work of the godfather. I was a little doubtful if I could call it a work of art or not.

I was a bit doubtful if I could call it a work of art, though, since I heard that it was created but escaped and became wild and rampaging. I heard that it caused a lot of damage until Luminas took it down and brought it under his control.

Well, it was a long time ago, so I can’t say anything about it now, but I heard that it was one of the better episodes concerning the god ancestors, so I can remember how hard Luminas had to work.

The seven great nobles are derived from such Louis. So, even as a demon lord’s army, he was a dignified man.

Anyway, now we know the strength of the Luminas.

Now it is my turn to disclose the information just reported to me.

“That’s impressive.”

Luminas nodded at my report.

Luminas’ statement here is not a comparison between the 30,000 members of the “Bound Titan Clan” and the 10,000 Templar Knights, but refers only to the number of Over A-ranked warriors.

It is not clear why Dagruel brought even lower-ranked warriors, but what should be emphasized is the quality rather than the number of warriors. We can be sure of this, since we have overturned the disadvantage of numbers many times before.

And, if we compare the quality.

Luminas’ strength should have been about 400 Blood Red Knights, 300 Holy Knight Order, and nearly 700 Over A ranks. It should not have been so surprising to hear that there were nearly 1,000 members on the Dagruel side.

However, since the Holy Knight Order was not present, there was no doubt that the Luminas side was overwhelmingly at a disadvantage.

If the Luminas were defeated and their sacred lands were destroyed, the Western Nations would surely collapse. Not only would the object of faith be lost, but also the existence of the guardian would disappear, and the Western Nations would be completely overrun in less than a month.

If Dagruel’s goal is only to destroy the territory, the destruction may be less severe. However, the people living there will suffer, and there is no telling how they will be treated.

At a time when our existence has been recognized, and we are about to join hands to create a prosperous and civilized society, it is unthinkable that we should be interfered with.

I will not allow anyone or anything to interfere with my self-indulgent life.

Therefore, the defeat of the Luminas camp had to be prevented.

If so, the question is whether the current strength of the Luminas camp is enough.

The strength of Dagruel is unknown. It was dangerous to underestimate him, because he was said to be so strong that he had a fight with Veldora in the past.

Ciel-san seemed certain that I would win…but I did not know if I would have to fight or not, since I did not know what would happen in the future.

I needed to be prepared for all kinds of situations.

If I fight against Luminas, I don’t know who will win.

Luminas also possesses the Ultimate Skill of the deadly sins, so I don’t think he will be defeated easily…but it’s better to avoid a fight between generals if at all possible.

If I’m here, you don’t have to worry about it, but you should know the strength of the second-in-command here.

*

Luminas and Dagruel are said to be the largest faction among demon lords, but their overall strength seems to be almost equal. That is probably why Dagruel did not make any rash moves, but now that the situation has come to this, the strength of the lieutenants and the top level officers should decide the winner.

On the Luminas side, there are Gunther-san, Louis, and the seven nobles.

And of course, there were strongmen on the Dagruel side.

Not to mention Dagruel’s younger brothers such as Fenn and Glassord.

I had heard that there were those who were considered to be equivalent to Demon Lord Seed, though they were one step inferior to such Million-class powerful men.

They are the Five Great Generals, the strongest among the senior fighters of the “Binding Chain Giant Gods”.

And the famous representative of the five is…

“It is troublesome that Fenn is back. Now Dagruel will revert back to the evil god of ancient times, and Basara of the “Four Arms” will be awakened.

Yes, that Basara of the Four Arms is the second-in-command of the Binding Chain Giant Gods. He is said to be as strong as the other deputy, Glassord, so he must be Million-class.

Still, there are too many hidden strongmen, such as the Luminas’ forces and the Dagruel’s camp.

I felt like asking them how the balance among demon lords is balanced, with Karion and Frey having under their command such fierce fighters who look cute.

When I complained in exasperation, Luminas answered me casually.

“Of course not, right? I (Ruminas voice) have been demon lords for a long time. They have taken in powerful people and expanded their power. In fact, as new demon lords, Karion and Frey have been worth seeing.

This was a very superior comment.

But in fact, this phrase “since long ago” was very persuasive. After all, Luminas and Dagruel have been alive not for a thousand or two thousand years, but for thousands of years, or even ten thousands of years, if not more.

It is said that it is rare for a Dagruel to reach the level of Million-class in a hundred or two hundred years, even if it can reach the level of Demon Lord Seed in a hundred or two hundred years. When he told me that, I had no words to reply.

“In that sense, you are an anomaly! How many million-class people do you have under your command? I (Ruminas voice) would like to ask you how you can gather that many people in such a short period of time!”

I couldn’t help but think, “Ugh ! I was so surprised that I couldn’t help but to let out a “Woooooo!

I don’t know how it happened, and I can’t find the answer even if you ask me.

It would not be good for me to continue this story.

So I decided to ask Luminas something that had been bothering me for a while, as if to cover up the story.

“By the way, you know a lot about Dagruel’s camp, did you know about Fenn?

Luminas looked at me with a puzzled look, but accepted my invitation.

“Hmmm? Of course. The damage had already been sealed when I (Ruminas voice) was born, but there were still traces of the damage. The godfathers used to tell me stories about those days with great pleasure. Besides, it was because of Fenn that the ancestors created the sisters Kisara and Basara.

Luminas says that both Kisara and Basara are the ancestors of Giants, created by Gods after Dagruel’s “True Giants”. Because they were born as twins, they were said to have quarreled over who was the older sister or the older brother, and their quarrel was so fierce that the damage was considerable at that time.

Luminas’ argument was that ‘the source of all the disasters can be traced back to the god ancestors’.

The situation was calmed down when Kisara and Basara fought with Dagruel, lost, and became his disciples.

“It was not good that Dagruel’s power expanded, as you say, ‘You can conquer a poison with a poison.

It seems that the situation has since changed to a power struggle with the Luminas.

The situation changed when Dagruel and Kisara got married. It is often said that having a family settles things down, and it seems that this was exactly the case.

So the peaceful period lasted for a while, but it was only a period of preparation for the next war… peace and war were repeated every hundred years or so.

Well, I’m not interested in that kind of history, so he explained it to me in rolls.

Kisara, the wife of Dagruel, died in childbirth.

Basara was very upset by the death of her twin sister, but I guess they must have been close enough to fight with each other. Well, I guess.

Basara was put under house arrest by Dagruel. Luminas says that he was forced to go to sleep, but he was almost certainly awakened.

This was also mentioned in the report from Ultima.

I asked him what was going on because there was a troublesome ruffian called “Four Arms” a long time ago, but it seems that he had been locked up for a long time. The old man said he would send them out if necessary.

So, I am almost sure that Ultima will appear as an enemy this time.

Since Ultima says that they are troublesome, they must be very serious.

The group led by Basara is called the “Five Great Generals”, which is decided by the annual competition to test their skills.

However, since the average lifespan of Giants is about 500 years, it seems that they are selected only from the ancient giants who have a lifespan of more than 1,000 years – senior fighters.

It is said that young giants sometimes reincarnate their ancestors, and this is an annual event to promote national prestige in Damargania.

So, the five great generals are the best of the five, but they are not as big a threat as Basara, the leader of the five. They are definitely lower in rank than the Beastketeers and the two twin-winged men.

In other words, the Seven Nobles under Luminas are stronger.

Here is a summary of the forces of the two sides.

First, on the Luminas side

Gunther and Louis are Million-class, and their existence value is a little more than a million.

The Seven Nobles are equivalent to Demon Lord Seed, and their existence value is from 200,000 to 600,000. There seems to be an individual difference among them.

In addition, there were “Seven Luminary Clerics” as a front force, but they have been wiped out due to a sad incident. There was no time to replenish the champion class of the human race, and they will be reconstituted from the current Holy Knights in the future.

Well, that’s about it.

Next, on the Dagruel side

Glassord and Fenn, Dagruel’s younger brothers.

Glassord’s existence value is said to be less than 2 million, and Fenn’s is even higher than Dagruel’s. They seem to be ridiculously strong.

Basara, whom I mentioned earlier, is a little less than Glassord, but just over a million. It seems that he is almost equal to Gunther and the others.

The values of the five remaining generals are said to be between 150,000 and 300,000. The threat level is not as high as that of the current Beastketeers, but the problem is that there are other senior fighters.

The total number of fighters is close to a hundred, but the minimum existence value is over 100,000, and the maximum is said to be close to 150,000.

This is not surprising since there is a turnover in the competition every year. However, the fact that there were nearly a hundred such strong participants was a threat that could not be ignored.

I believe that quality is better than quantity, but it would be troublesome if the number of participants exceeds the minimum. It would be easier if we could make them wear a suit of armor like Velgrynd-san, but I don’t think Dagruel would allow us to do so…

It’s been a long time since I’ve felt threatened by numbers.

“Well, we’ve been at loggerheads with him for a long time, but I (Ruminas voice) knew that I (Ruminas voice) would be at a disadvantage in a full-scale war. We had prepared accordingly, but our forces were greatly reduced by some slime.

Hey, hey! That’s a story that’s already been told!”

and so on, but it did not lead to the solution of the problem.

We had no choice but to send reinforcements from Tempest, but then Shion joined the conversation with a big smile on his face.

Dagruel is nothing to be afraid of!”

Shion stands up. Then he called out to the other side of the door.

“Come on in, you guys!

The men who were called by Shion entered the room looking nervous.

Who are these guys?

It’s been a while! I’m Dagura!

I’m Leura.

I’m Debra!

I left them with Shion and forgot that they were Dagruel’s sons.

I mean, I had actually had them in the back of my mind, but I had no idea what to do with them since they had suddenly turned hostile to Dagruel…

“Hey, it’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re doing well, but I wonder if you guys know what’s going on?”

If they want to go back to Dagruel, we should send them away without taking them prisoner.

Frankly speaking, each of them is stronger than a bad Demon Lord Seed, so it would be troublesome for them to become an asset of the enemy… but if we take them captive, we will have to devote our forces to guard them, which may cause unnecessary confusion.

Killing an unarmed opponent is out of the question, and we don’t have any other good ideas. There is also a possibility of Isolation in Ramiris’ labyrinth, but it would increase the burden on Ramiris’ group, so it was safer not to do that.

I waited for the answers from the three of them while thinking like this.

Then, I received an unexpected answer.

“Of course. My father has switched sides, and I am very embarrassed.

“We had heard about Fenn’s uncle in our bedtime stories, but we never thought he would come back in this day and age.

“Heh heh heh, he was diabolical and I heard he and my father were evenly matched.”

Surprisingly, he was speaking from our point of view.

So I decided to ask him.

“Well, you’re going to war with your father, are you going to be okay?”

“Yes, I think so. I’m worried, but I’m more interested in testing how strong we are now.

You are right. We are being trained day by day by Shion-sama. Mental and physical training and good food. And we even have friends to compete with. Defeating those who try to destroy this environment is the reason we’ve got the power we have!

“Woah woah, we’re all rather happy to be able to show off the results of our training. I’m going to use my power too and beat your uncles to a pulp!”

they said to each other.

They seemed to really mean it and were ready to fight against Dagruel and the others.

When I looked at Shion, he nodded his head in satisfaction, as if it was a matter of course.

“Well…”

Well, what should we do?

Is it really okay to send these three men off to war?

“I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Ciel-san answered without a pause as I was wondering what to do.

But what about the possibility of their betrayal?

I believe their words are true, but if they are fake, it will put our allies in danger. Some of the others would have been reluctant to fight with the sons of the enemy general.

However, Ciel-san’s attitude remained firm.

“I think it is highly unlikely. Because-”

I did not need to hear his answer.

The door to the room opened and Shion’s men rushed in.

One of them, a big-looking older brother, was the first to address his opinion to me.

“Rimuru-sama, we believe you and Doug!

Hey, Gobzo…?

I mistook him for Gobzo because of his fearless look.

His face is the same, but his spirit is different. And his words were that he believed in Dagura.

Gobzo is not the only one.

Shion’s “Yomigaeri” began to speak out in defense of the Daguras.

This was proof that they truly believed in them.

Or perhaps they thought I was going to dispose of or even lock up Dagura and the others.

I’m sorry to hear that.

I’m a rational thinker, but I wouldn’t take their lives out of the blue just because I’m worried that they might become my enemies…

“Rimuru-sama! Thus, our unity is solid. We are not trained to be soft… so we will not be moved by a slightest thing…!”

Shion himself, perhaps feeling his responsibility as the one in charge of Dagruel’s sons, looked me straight in the eye and advised me.

That was enough for me, but then Luminas made a surprising comment.

“Rimuru, to tell you the truth, even I (Ruminas voice) have a feeling that I want to get rid of Dagruel’s sons.

I was about to say, “No, I don’t have such a feeling…” but Luminas continued before I could say anything.

But I think we can trust them.

He was a self-proclaimed close friend of Dagruel, but he was defending Dagruel’s position.

I asked him in detail how he came to this conclusion.

Luminas told me with a bitter look on his face.

“Shion’s cooking has improved, but only with their help.

“I beg your pardon?

Who do you think tasted it? I (Ruminas voice) didn’t like it but there are curious people everywhere. One of the Seven Lords foolishly came forward and had to spend a month in bed.”

He thought that the undead would be safe from death, but he was wrong.

I thought he was an idiot, but I hesitated to tell him. After all, it is always those challengers who bring about wonderful inventions and discoveries.

I think it is amazing that the first person ate sea urchin or sea cucumber. I heard that they were forced to eat such ghettos, and that there were some punishments, but I think that their actions contributed tremendously to the later gastronomy.

In that sense, I would say that the aristocrat was rather courageous.

So I nodded lightly and urged Luminas to continue.

“After that, no one wanted to taste the food, but they came forward. Everyone was so moved by their generosity that I (Ruminas voice) was forced to admit them.

I see.

It seems that behind Shion’s culinary progress lies a story of unimaginable hardship.

Incidentally, Adalmann or someone like him left a famous quote, “I never thought I would be thankful for not being able to eat.” Indeed, he thanked everyone from the bottom of his heart.

“Well, when we get to eat Miss Adalmann’s home-cooked meals, we are the ones who deserve this role, aren’t we?

“You’re right, brother.

A reward!

Yeah.

Maybe these three are just crazy.

But all’s well that ends well, and as long as Dagura and the others are not in a state of dissonance, they are welcome to join us in our efforts.

“Well then, let’s say that Luminas and I will deal with Dagruel, and leave Fenn to Shion and the others.

“Hmph! I (Ruminas voice) will deal with Dagruel. To be honest, it’s a bit tough, but it’s easy enough to buy time.

From Luminas’ point of view, he did not seem to think that he could beat Dagruel.

Strategically speaking, while Luminas was holding Dagruel down, he would defeat the other leaders of the enemy, and then they would all challenge him for the game.

Then, if I was Fenn’s opponent, we would have more time to spare in terms of strength.

“Okay, then…”

That’s when I said to myself.

As I was about to say, “I think I see a way to win,” the situation suddenly became urgent.

*

The news came via an urgent Telepathy Net from Ramiris.

‘Hey Rimuru, I’m in trouble!

‘You know, you’re always talking about how hard things are, but I’m going through a lot, too, you know?

I tried to let it go lightly, but this time it was really hard.

I tried to let it go lightly, but this time it was really hard. Listen, I’ve lost contact with Milim’s office. I ordered them to investigate immediately, but I have a bad feeling about this ! ‘ Ramiris said.

Ramiris said.

Just a few minutes ago, Gobta and the others returned and reported that they had succeeded in defeating Zelanus.

But the problem happened right after that. Suddenly, the video monitoring the war situation stopped working.

Fortunately, the “portal” remained connected to the site.

Gobta and his team had to go back to the site to investigate and Ramiris contacted me at Ramiris.

‘This is bad,’ he said.

I told you so!

Well, this is what I call having no time to calm down.

I don’t think Milim has anything to do with this, but I do have an idea about the video interference.

“It’ s Velzard, isn’t it? ”

Ciel-san agrees with me.

Then we can be almost sure that it is Velzard.

Tell Gobta and the others to take it easy. I’ll be back soon.

I told Ramiris and ended the conversation.

Then I turn to Luminas.

“Sorry. There’s an emergency.

“What’s going on?”

“I think Milim and Velzard-san got into a fight. I’ve got to call Guy and I’m going to head back.

Luminas nodded his head in agreement.

“Okay. We’ll be ready for Dagruel, don’t worry.

“That’s right! Let’s see if we can defeat the Titans by ourselves!”

To allay my fears, Luminas tells me it’s going to be okay.

And even Shion assured me that we would be fine on our own.

I couldn’t take his word for it, but I could trust him for a little while until we could figure out what to do.

“Well, I’m going back.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it!”

Yes, I remember now.

I should tell you this, too.

Luminas, just so you know, don’t be too sure about the four-day window.

The earliest the Dagruel forces can expect to reach the island is four days.

But that is only if they maintain their current speed of march.

There might be someone like me who can shift the whole army, so we need to be careful.

“Hmm, you’re right. I (Ruminas voice) have considered this possibility. You can do it, you know. It would be negligent of a commander to think that the enemy can’t do what we can do.

Yes, he understood me.

Then I have nothing more to say.

I’ll take care of the important ones first, since I can rush to your aid if the need arises.

Take care.

You too.

Luminas and I nodded at each other.

“Good luck, Rimuru-sama!”

With that kind of push from Shion and the others, I returned to Tempest.

*

Upon my return, I quickly made my way to the Control Room.

And then, I was shocked at what I saw.

Tasteless…

Very, very bad.

On the big screen, we saw Milim, who was so furious that he had lost his reason, transformed into a deformed form and went on a rampage.

His opponent was Velzard.

She is a bewitching beauty with a smiling face, but she is not backing away from Milim, who has turned into a “real destroyer”, and they are fighting each other evenly.

Both of them.

It was truly the battle of the gods all over again.

“What’s going on here?”

Ramiris answered without a pause.

“Gobta is filming us!”

No, that’s not what I wanted to ask…

I’m asking you what’s going on!

Oh, that. As you can see, it sucks!”

Well, now I understand why Ramiris is completely useless.

It was Benimaru who stood up from his luxurious commander’s seat to greet me as I let out a sigh of exasperation.

“We were all excited about our success in defeating Zelanus, but suddenly we lost contact with him. I sent Gobta, who had just returned, to scout the area. There, it was confirmed that Velzard-sama and Milim-sama were in a state of battle.”

Benimaru told us the story to the point.

The most interesting thing about the situation in the area is that there are no known survivors.

The battlefield was completely covered with white ice, and there were no signs of life.

Ranga, who was with Gobta, has been trying to collect some kind of scent particles by ‘wind manipulation’ to help us understand the situation.

As it turned out, all the smells had disappeared.

In other words, although we could see the ice sculptures from the visual information, we could assume that the whole battlefield was in the same situation.

“Well, I would have liked to check out the ice sculptures, but it seems that even Gobta, who is protected by Ranga, had difficulty, or rather impossibility, in getting close to them.”

Is it that bad?

“Is it that bad?” “Yes. This video was also shot from the maximum possible distance. Gobta was whining about it, but I’m trying to get him to be patient.

I think Benimaru is not only a devil at heart but a real devil, but I don’t think this is the time to talk so lightly.

Carrera and his men are still there, but they can’t communicate with me on the ‘Telepathy Net’ either. We are connected by the Soul Corridor.

Everyone on the battlefield is dead or alive. This is, indeed, the worst thing that could happen.

I didn’t want to think that Carrera and the others were dead.

Besides, Karion and Frey-san must have been there.

It was unthinkable that there were so many Million-class members who could not do anything and were wiped out in a short period of time. If there was some emergency, we had agreed to stall for time.

And yet, here we are.

Although it was not clear from the video, Milim seemed to have gone out of control. He seemed to unleash a level of power that was beyond normal, and was having a big fight with Velzard…

I wondered what could have caused that…

I can’t get the bad imagery out of my mind.

But being stuck in it does not solve anything.

It’s no wonder Ramiris is completely out of his mind, but I can’t let that happen to me either.

The battlefield must be a hell of a mess. I made up my mind and changed my mind.

What do we do now?

There is no point in panicking.

In such a situation, we should think about what we can do now.

Keep your mind calm and collected. You must think of countermeasures one by one, and deal with them one by one, starting with what you can do.

“All the remaining Dungeon’s Elite Ten are summoned. It will be too dangerous to go any further, so let Gobta and the others return as well.

But, sir…

“I don’t think the battle between Milim and Velzard-san will be so easily settled. I think the only ones who can take on Milim in his runaway state are me and Veldora, don’t you?

To be honest, I don’t like it either.

I mean, if Milim really gets out of control, who can stop him?

I heard that Ramiris interceded in a clash with Guy a long time ago…but I can’t expect much from Ramiris now.

However, hoping for the near-zero chance that Ramiris might have interceded…

“Hey, Ramiris…just a question…can you bring Milim back to his senses while I hold Velzard-san back?

“Hey! Are you asking me to die ? “Hey! Are you telling me to die?

I knew it.

I thought this solution was impossible, and I didn’t expect it from the beginning, but now I have proof.

It seems that Ramiris, who is now a little boy, could not take it from the ground up.

“No, I thought it would be impossible. But I didn’t think you would come with a plan to make Milim go berserk…” he muttered, sighing.

He mutters and lets out a sigh.

While Benimaru and the others are busy gathering the executives, we have to think about our next move.

To be honest, I had not expected this.

It is bad enough to have a traitor among our own people, but to have an even worse calamity waiting for us.

No, I knew it was an effective means, but I didn’t expect it to be this way…

“… If Milim really goes out of control, the world may collapse. This is a forbidden measure that does not involve friend or foe, and if he is prepared to do this without a fight, we need to be prepared for a more serious situation.”

And what does that mean?

“Unleashing the World-destroying Dragon Ivarage is the most likely candidate, but we should also be on the lookout for other dangerous measures.

In other words, anything goes, no rules.

That’s really bad.

How to bring Milim back to his senses when he’s out of control is a problem, and now he has Velzard-san to interfere with that. I thought of asking Veldora for help, but when Velzard-san’s image appeared in the video, he became suspicious and ran away, saying he remembered something he had to do.

She’s so unreliable at the critical moment, isn’t she?

Well, I can’t complain about it since it’s the same for me.

If I could escape, I would run away as fast as I can.

But that’s not an exaggeration… it means the end of mankind.

To be honest, I’m troubled by it.

Even if I’m the only one who survives, it doesn’t mean anything.

It was better to resist with all my might than to tolerate such a future.

It’s time to stop whining.

I have switched my mind to think seriously about countermeasures from now on.

*

Before the executives gather, I have one more thing to do.

That is, to summon some powerful helpers.

So, I’m calling for your immediate support.

Guy-sama didn’t seem to be interested, but let me, Raine, do the negotiating here.

Yes, it was Guy whom I was trying to call.

To tell the truth, no matter how hard I try, it’s impossible for me to deal with Velzard and Milim at the same time.

You can’t win a war with mentality.

I was not going to enter into a fight that I could not win, and if I had no choice but to do it, I would not spare any effort to improve my chances of winning.

So I tried to connect ‘Telepathy Net’ to Guy, but was rejected.

Did he get tired of it, sensing the battle between Velzard and Milim?

No, I don’t think so.

Guy, unlike Veldora, knows what he has to do.

In other words, he thinks that there is a more serious threat than this.

The fact that Ciel-san and Guy came to the same conclusion depresses me.

The problems are piling up.

Even if I involve Guy, I can deal with Velzard-san, but Milim will inevitably be with me. Even though I could see the way to that point, I had no plan beyond that point, which was the cause of my uneasiness.

I can manage just to fight.

But…

I’m not sure if I can deal with Milim without affecting this planet, let alone the ground.

Probably, it is all I can do not to die.

Well, even if I die, I can come back as long as Veldora is around, but if I retire, Guy’s burden will increase and he will be out of the game.

No matter how strong Guy is, it is impossible for him to play against both of them at the same time. In the first place, the star itself will be destroyed if Guy doesn’t play well against them…

It’s not good.

In addition to this, Feldway, Ivarage, and so on… It was just too much of a challenge one after another, even though we had defeated Michael.

Now, even if I really try to think of a countermeasure, my mind is filled with unpleasant imaginations.

While I was thinking like this, I received a reply from Raine.

‘Rimuru-sama, it’s perfect! Guy-sama is willing to do what I’m asking…’

‘Hey, Rimuru, why are you using my Raine as your errand boy?

What ?

Needless to say, it was Guy who interrupted the ‘Telepathy Net’ from Raine.

He didn’t seem to understand why Raine and I were getting along so well, but of course there was a reason for this.

I had recognized Raine’s talent as a painter and had started to ask her to do various things for my personal use.

Raine has responded to my requests with great pleasure, and now he has established a position that he is my personal painter.

More specifically, I became Pat Long and helped Raine’s talent to flourish.

As to how we came to this relationship, it was after the meeting at Leon’s castle.

After the meeting at Leon’s castle, I showed him the paintings that I had confiscated from Diablo.

The paintings that Raine had done were very beautiful.

Like a photograph…

Raine’s paintings had various expressions without a model, just by spreading the wings of imagination.

Among them, yes!

There were nudes, too.

As for me, I am naturally interested in them.

From an artistic point of view, of course.

The pursuit of beauty has no limits, and my desire for it knows no bounds.

I have no guilty feelings at all, but just out of intellectual curiosity as a person who pursues “beauty”, I just had to ask you.

Raine, can you draw a nude without a model? I asked.

Raine replied to my genuine question.

It’s expensive.

Not whether you can do it or not, but how expensive.

Gently, I held out the bag of gold coins.

Raine quickly tucked it into his pocket without moving an eyebrow. Then, without losing his calm attitude, he said, “Gold coins for the devil is nonsense. But I respect Rimuru-sama…” He said something like that.

I thought to myself.

This was the beginning of a high level of psychological warfare.

So I just asked him, “What do you want?” I asked him.

“…it wasn’t advanced at all, and it wasn’t even sort of, you know. It was more of a direct…”

Well, ignoring the outside intrusion, Raine’s answer was as follows.

I’m interested in points,” she appealed to me, looking at me with pure eyes.

From there, it was easy to win him over, let’s say.

I had a lot of personal meetings with Raine. I became her patrong and supported her artistic activities.

If Ciel-san had done the brain preservation, I might not have felt so much enthusiasm. However, since he has been uncooperative at the critical moment, I have found a way of life in Raine’s paintings.

“… tch…”

Hmm?

I thought I heard something like a clap of tongue, but… no, no, it must have been my imagination.

I’m a little tired, I guess.

Because I don’t have any guilty conscience.

“I don’ t understand why so many of them have nudity as a motif…”

I don’t like it, Ciel-san .

There’s nothing in this world that Ciel-san doesn’t know.

So maybe it’s just my imagination!

And that’s the end of this story !

Thus, the relationship between Raine and me has become a close one, and now she is working with me as an outside collaborator, doing whatever I want.

It is natural for Guy to be suspicious, but I don’t owe him any explanations.

So, I replied to him with a proud smile, ‘This is not the time for this.

It’s not the time for this! It’s an emergency, so come here right now! ASAP !!

With that, I ended my ‘Telepathy Net’ with Guy.

The painting I have asked Raine to do on Hinata’s model is not finished yet. I can’t allow this world to be destroyed before I see it.

Once again, I vowed to myself that I would overcome this crisis at any cost.

*

Within five minutes of my command to Benimaru, we are all here.

Benimaru is in command, and he is a proud commander.

Gobta, who had just been recalled from scouting because of the danger, was shivering in his seat. He could have rested, but he has a strong sense of responsibility.

By the way, Ranga had already retreated into my shadow. I think he is cute in that way, even though he is a cheater. I hope he will take a good rest after the hardship he has suffered.

In fact, Geld is in the emergency room with serious injuries. Although he is no longer seriously injured, he is so worn out that the recovery medicine cannot keep up with his condition, so he is taken to a rarely used recreation facility.

Gabil, who was accompanying Geld, was also hospitalized urgently by Shuna’s decision.

Gabil, who was accompanying Geld, was also hospitalized urgently by Shuna’s decision.

The unexpected pitfall of the recovery medicine is that it makes them look healthy because they are not injured.

To a monster, magicule is equivalent to life force. If it is exhausted, the monster may lose its life.

For me, it is not a funny story, because I have been in such a situation many times in Naming. I had to force Gabil, who was going to attend the meeting, to take a rest.

There was another seriously injured person.

Leon.

Diablo brought him to the medical facility, and he is in stable condition. Shuna reported that he would wake up soon. As one would expect from a former hero and a current demon lord, the recovery rate of his physical strength seems to be quite fast.

I hope he will join the meeting when he wakes up, but I can’t force him to do so. Since we cannot afford to wait for Leon’s recovery, unfortunately, he did not participate in the meeting this time.

The rest of the labyrinthine group is Kumara, Zegion, and Apito.

Adalmann’s group participated in the defense of Lubelius with Shion, and Gadra (Master) also joined them. Since the Dragon King team does not participate in such cases, all of them are here.

By the way, Hakurou is continuing his training as a guard for the children. Sare and Grigori also remained in training.

Sare seems to be one of the best, while Grigori seems to be in a good competition with the children.

The reason why Hakurou was not invited was so as not to worry the children.

Chloe had come to my rescue under the false pretense of being sick, but now she is really down. That’s one of the reasons why I’m trying not to make Kenya and the others feel uneasy.

Anyway, I’ve placed them in a safe hierarchy so that they can be safe even if enemies invade the labyrinth, but even so, I can’t take any chances.

In that sense, Kumara is going to join the children as soon as I finish my message.

And there is another reason.

Momiji and Alvis have taken refuge in this labyrinth.

Kaede had also come to the labyrinth to accompany them. She has experience in childbirth and knows pregnant women very well, so she is a perfect person for the job. She is a perfect person for the job. She is here so that Benimaru can concentrate on the battle, and at Kaede’s strong request, Hakurou has been assigned to guard Benimaru’s wives to ensure their safety.

So, we have all the members now, but I feel uneasy when there are so few of us.

It’s no wonder they are scattered all over the place, but with Carrera’s safety still unknown, it’s only natural that we feel a sense of crisis like never before.

Anyway, I have to swallow such anxieties and behave myself with dignity like Benimaru.

We decided to start a discussion in the conference room adjacent to the “Control Room” so that we would be notified immediately if something happened, while keeping a watchful eye on the situation.

I’m going to make a plan on my own, since this is not the time for a leisurely meeting. Unfortunately, the battle is still raging and the ground is shaking.

Probably, there are earthquakes in the Kingdom of Ingracia.

If this continues, it will cause damage not only on a continental scale but also on a planetary scale. In order to prevent this from happening, I was going to ask for forgiveness for my selfishness this time.

The conclusion I came up with was a haphazard, haphazard, no-plan, and reckless plan that Guy and I would go out and do something about it.

But since even Ciel-san, my reliable partner, couldn’t find a great plan, I had no choice but to give up.

“Thank you all for coming.

He greeted the participants, and then he suddenly got down to the main topic.

“I’m going to deal with Milim.

When I announced this, the place became tense.

Of course. It’s a bad idea for generals to make a move on their own.

It’s a common thing in our case, but it’s still unusual for us to skip even a discussion like this, so everyone must be thinking about it.

“Kufufufu, then, let me join Rimuru-sama.

Diablo offered to do so.

“No, you are strong, but you can’t take it easy on Milim, can you? I’m sure there will be a more suitable opponent.

-He refused.

No matter what anyone says, this is a decision. If we were going to fight against Milim or Velzard, we would only be taking more casualties even if we hit a large number of them.

“…If we are going to fight against that level of fighters, there is no one we can count as our strength, ” said Ciel-san, who also agreed.

Ciel-san agreed with this statement.

Ciel-san assured that even Benimaru, Zegion, and Diablo would be useless. He said that there was a very high risk of casualties, although it was only a possibility.

If they are going to kill Milim, but not if they are going to stop him, it is possible.

In that case, I have no choice but to do my best.

Then, I call out to Guy who came all the way here.

“I’m sorry, but I need Guy’s company.

“…Oh?”

Guy stared at me, but I was not intimidated by that.

Compared to going to the dangerous mediation alone, it was much better to convince Guy here.

“After all, Guy-san is the leader of the eight stars, right? As a newcomer, I thought I had no choice but to ask my senior members who I can rely on to go to the meeting.

The plan was to encourage Guy and get him involved. It seems to increase the probability of success, and I hope he will forgive me.

Guy, however, interrupted me with a grim look on his face.

“You called me up and now you want me to help you? You’ve got some nerve, you know that?”

“No, no, no, I’m a chicken, that’s why I want Guy to help me. No kidding, please be serious.”

Here, I bowed my head and asked him to help me so that he would know how I really felt.

Seeing this, Guy’s attitude changes.

Then he started to talk to me in a serious tone.

“Do you understand? I understand that you are worried about Milim and the others, but…”

Guy seemed to have come to the same conclusion as Ciel-san.

Rather than mediating the battle between Milim and Velzard, Guy seems to have come to the same conclusion as Ciel-san. The more I think about it, the more depressing it becomes, but I can’t shake the conclusion that we should do what we can for now.

“You are talking about the possibility of Ivarage being unleashed? I’m worried about that, too, but if this world is destroyed before that happens, it’s over anyway.

I said this to Guy, trying not to be intimidated by him and showing my resolve.

You noticed that?”

Guy said in an amused tone and sat down silently.

He seemed to have decided to wait for my reaction for the time being.

I take advantage of this and proceed with my story.

“Actually, I don’t know what Velzard is trying to do. I don’t think that his intention to make Milim really angry was to cause a runaway.

What does Velzard want us to do after the runaway is a means to an end?

If we know that, we might be able to do something about it…

Now is not the time to dwell on it.

To save Carrera and the others, we must put it behind us.

As I was thinking about this, Guy muttered something to me.

“Maybe Velzard wants to see me in action.”

“What?”

“His wish has never changed. He wants to prove he’s better than me in a real fight.

What?

I looked at Guy wondering what he was going to say all of a sudden, but he looked very serious.

Apparently, he meant what he said.

Guy looked uncomfortable, saying, “That’s why I didn’t want to deal with it.

I can’t believe that the world is about to be destroyed by such a lover’s quarrel…

I was disgusted, but I couldn’t leave it at that.

“Even if it’s true, the planet will be shattered if they keep fighting. We have to stop them.

“They want us here, don’t they? If we don’t, Feldway’s plan will fail, and isn’t that the best thing to do?

Guy says that the planet is created by Veldanava’s power and will not shatter. However, the power of Milim is still rising, and if the star is left unattended, it will be contaminated by the magicule.

Still, we should be glad that the star is not shattered.

It is natural to think that magic like Carrera’s is not something that should be invoked on the planet. It is precisely because it was on this world that it was able to withstand such a drastic power.

Otherwise, the earth’s axis would have been distorted even if we were lucky.

Guy’s argument makes sense when he explains it like that.

If we join in the war, it would be just as Feldway wanted, and we might end up calling Ivarage out. Guy’s decision was right if he wanted to avoid such a risk.

But, however.

I almost nodded my head, but that option was long gone.

“Unfortunately, Carrera and the others have been turned into ice sculptures, too, and we can’t just leave them there.

Carrera is not the only one.

If we don’t rescue Frey-san, Karion, and the others who fought there, we will never be able to live in a world where we can all laugh together.

That’s why my resolve is unshakable.

“Damn it! I get it! I’ll go along with you.”

Guy said, and got up like that.

*

“You know, if we get too serious, the area contaminated by magicule will increase. You have to be careful, okay?”

That’s my line.

You’ve already done it once.

I know! I can’t help you this time, so don’t do anything rash!

Ramiris said to me, “I’m worried about you alone,” but I don’t know what to think.

But then again, I’m not qualified to be a big talker either.

It’s kind of funny to me that I have no plan so far, but I can’t help it.

It was time to be strong.

And I’ve been in the same situation many times before.

“So, it’s just me and Guy who are going to stop Milim. I would like you all to defend the base (here) and respond to requests for help from other countries.

Some of you may be dissatisfied with the fact that we are only communicating a decision this time. However, this is the best solution that we have decided after consulting with Ciel-san.

“Rimuru-sama, I would still like to join you even if it is only me…”

“No.”

I turned down Diablo’s proposal, unhesitatingly.

Diablo seemed to be able to handle our fight. But I turned him down because I wanted him to stay behind in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

“It seems that Feldway’s goal is not only to revive Ivarage. I think Dagruel’s attack on Luminas is a diversion so that he can use our forces as a diversion. You, Benimaru, and Zegion are the only ones who can take care of me after I’m stuck.

Diablo is a good man, but that’s why we want him to stay. Not only Feldway, but also the bug demon lordZelanus still remains…

As long as the labyrinth is safe, we will not be defeated in the true sense of the word. I felt uneasy if all three of us had to stay here.

Benimaru had the important role of commanding the team.

Zegion was trusted as the guardian of the labyrinth.

Benimaru’s command and Zegion’s strength, combined with the environment of the labyrinth, would surely be able to withstand an opponent like Zelanus. In addition, with Diablo’s uncanny ability to respond, I was inclined to believe that they would be able to cope even if the enemy launched an all-out attack on the labyrinth.

Thus, I forced the three of them to agree.

And Veldora.

Who am I?

“Veldora-san is really the last resort.

Veldora seemed dissatisfied that I did not call her by name, but she nodded her head in satisfaction when she heard what I said.

I have to tell you again and again that if Veldora is safe, I can come back to life.

I don’t want to try it, but there is a big difference between having insurance and not having insurance.

I’ve shut down the opposition with my own prejudice, so I’ve decided to go out as soon as I can.

The more time I take, the slower my decision will be, and I’ll leave the rest to Veldora.

“I’m counting on you, Veldora!”

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you.”

Seeing Veldora nodding her head, I felt very confident.

Ramiris jumped on me.

“Rimuru, take care of Milim!”

“Yes, I’ll take care of him!”

To reassure the anxious Ramiris, I promised to bring Milim back to his senses with a smile.

I hope my voice will reach Milim, the strongest demon lord in the world, because no half measures will work against him. If I can control my anger, I will naturally come to my senses.

In fact, it is a matter of luck.

It is a prerequisite that Guy will be able to control Velzard. Then, we must be prepared for a long battle while making adjustments to minimize the impact on the planet.

This was an unprecedented recklessness.

To begin with, facing Milim in a runaway state while holding back is a suicide mission…

I assured Diablo that it was impossible, but I wasn’t so sure either.

But I have no choice but to do it.

Benimaru, I’ll take over.

Don’t worry!

I’m glad Benimaru is here.

We need to be ready for any request from other countries, especially Lubelius is under the war. We do not know what will happen. The situation is changing moment by moment, and we have to respond flexibly while distributing the remaining forces well.

Only Benimaru can be entrusted with such a difficult adjustment.

I nodded back at Benimaru.

Well, let’s see.

（Don’t go on a rampage and cause more damage!)

Let’s wake Milim up before it’s too late.

With everyone’s anxious eyes on us and too much expectation on our shoulders, Guy and I left the place.