…
According to Raphael, granting someone a hundred thousand souls would “awaken” and evolve them, granting them strength equivalent to a “true” demon lord. Only those qualified would be eligible for this, but much to my surprise, twelve total candidates fit the bill: Ranga, Benimaru, Shion, Gabil, Geld, Diablo, Testarossa, Ultima, Carrera, Kumara, Zegion, and Adalmann. Only those connected enough with me on the soul level to obtain a demon lord “seed” were allowed; that was the condition.
The one who piqued my interest the most is undoubtedly Adalmann. He’s the only one I didn’t name myself. Why does he have the right to an evolution?
Understood. The subject Adalmann’s faith in you has surpassed the level required to establish a firm connection with you.
Oh, right. I taught Adalmann the “secret skills of faith and favor” I learned from Luminus, didn’t I? Thanks to that, we’ve built a connection that rivals the kind we’d have after a naming. That’s just amazing. It’s like he’d qualified for it all on his own, thanks to the unbelievable amount of faith he possessed. It’s a little awkward how all that faith was aimed at me, but I have to admire him for it.
So that makes sense. But the next question was: How many of these people can be evolved? Based on a quick count, I had a little over a million souls stored inside me. That didn’t quite match the number of people who died, but Raphael explained the reason why.
Proposal. The obtained souls were found to have a range of individual variances. Do you want to redistribute and reconstruct them to be uniform?
Yes
No
I thought yes without really understanding, and the next thing I knew, the total number ballooned to just over a million. The resurrected imperial soldiers would have a small amount of energy returned to them, so I’d figured the number would shrink a bit, but it actually grew instead. Some of them (like Caligulio) had been awakened themselves, and a lot of other really strong dudes stormed the labyrinth as well. People like that had much more energy than usual—and although I was technically borrowing it, I also took a ton of energy from Jiwu and Bernie, what with the ultimate skills they had and all. Each one of them had the energy of between several dozen and several tens of thousands of souls in their bodies.
So between this, that, and the other thing, I had enough souls to awaken ten people. But I had a few points of concern for this experiment.
The first was word of this leaking out. Was it really safe to do something so show-offy in front of guests like Alvis and Jaine? But I decided to trust them on this regardless—not because we were all part of an alliance, but because I knew they’d find out anyway. It was utterly impossible to fool Milim, and King Gazel had already put his trust in me with Diablo. Jaine was already pissed off enough at me, so it was kinda too late to keep her from learning about the labyrinth gang. I was sure the labyrinth-running community would start spreading rumors about how unnaturally strong the bosses had gotten before long anyway. No point, I thought, in concealing anything from anyone in this coliseum.
Next up was the uncertainty factor. This was the first time I had ever tried an awakening on someone else; there was always a chance something unexpected would occur. Thus, harnessing Ramiris’s powers, I had the entire coliseum blocked off from the rest of the city. That should prevent any damage from spreading to the outside world, no matter what happens—and it’d also maintain confidentiality, so we’d really be killing two birds with one stone.
The last concern of mine was the Harvest Festival that’d likely occur to each target, much like the one triggered by my demon lord awakening. In my case, it put me in a catatonic state for three days straight. If something similar happened to them, it’d mean the majority of our main leadership would take a days-long nap in the middle of a war. They’d be totally off the grid for a few days, and if something went haywire, it’d certainly suck for us.
But despite stewing over it for a while, I decided this wouldn’t be a big problem, either. There was zero imperial army left—nobody in the Armored Division, according to what Caligulio and his officers told us, that could mobilize at a moment’s notice. We did just kill nine hundred and forty thousand of their soldiers and officers, after all, so I kinda doubted there’d be anyone left.
The Empire had nothing but their Magical Beast and Composite Divisions to wage war with. We had an alliance (more or less) with Yuuki’s Composite Division, and right now the Magical Beast Division was being transported in a wholly different direction by the Flying Combat Corps, the pride and joy of the Armored Division.
My Eye of God skill was more than enough to keep track of those airships, and we calculated that even if they suddenly changed direction, it’d still take more than three days to reach our country. They had a normal cruising speed of around two hundred and fifty miles an hour; they could allegedly break the sound barrier at maximum combat speed—but only for a short period of time due to the comical amounts of magic force it consumed. We weren’t even sure they could stay in the air for the long stretches of time it’d require without resupplying.
These airships ran incomparably faster than ships or trains, but being in the air brings its own threats. You may run into surprise turbulence or points where the magicules are too disturbed to access magic at all. Some areas were also home to monsters who patrolled the skies, so the safest route wasn’t necessarily the straightest one every time. The fact that supersonic flight was possible in this world at all was a huge threat, but perhaps it wasn’t as advantageous as you might think. I didn’t see much need for alarm there.
That just left the possibility that the Imperial Guardians would go on the move. We whipped their asses this time, but only because we had the advantage of fighting on our home turf in the labyrinth. We could revive anyone who died in battle, which let us handle any situation with the utmost calmness.
If I was fighting the Guardians, I figured I could find a way to win. So would Benimaru, probably, at the end of the day. But what about Shion or Ranga? Wouldn’t it be pretty iffy for Gabil or Geld? If so, we’d need to address that as soon as possible. That way, even if they unexpectedly encountered a powerful enemy, they’d at least be able to buy the rest of us some time. We all had soul connections—in the form of soul corridors, to be exact—so they had a solid link with me still. No matter the situation, we’d always be able to Thought Communicate with each other. They could contact me as soon as they made an encounter, and then we could stage a pincer attack to kill off the threat.
Either way, I wanted to awaken everyone immediately, in preparation for what was to come. Every possibility, I thought, needed to be addressed. And this was the best time possible to do it.
………
……
…
So not to hurry things, but let’s get started.
My first nominee, it goes without saying, was Benimaru. As our commander-in-chief, he had done an excellent job leading all our forces. He didn’t look too happy about what Testarossa and the other demons got up to, but hey—every war comes with its unforeseen developments. It certainly wasn’t his fault—and it definitely wasn’t mine! It all worked out fine in the end, besides, and I think everyone involved did amazing.
After ending her speech, Shuna called Benimaru’s name. He took a step forward and kneeled down in front of me.
“Very good! Now, Benimaru. I am ready to grant you a reward right now—”
“I don’t even want to know what this is. You’re scheming something again, aren’t you?”
What the heck? I haven’t even done anything yet, and he’s on to me.
This whole awakening thing was actually meant to be a surprise. I knew I’d field objections if I brought it up with certain people, so I decided to carry this out without telling any of them. We continued talking as Shuna read out all of Benimaru’s glorious war achievements.
“Well, y’know, I actually won a lot of souls in this war. I guess Testarossa and her gang have been offering them to me, and it looks like I can use them to awaken those closely connected to me enough.”
“Hey, I’m telling you now, right?”
We looked each other in the eye. He totally would’ve turned it down—I’m sure of it. Benimaru’s a lot more serious-minded than you’d think, and he’s got a serious drive to become stronger on his own, I guess. He even seemed to have some thoughts about my own evolution to demon lord. I’m sure Diablo and Shion couldn’t wait to snap this reward up.
“So what is this awakening?”
That was a good question. In my case, it boosted my magicule count and magic power tenfold, as well as gave blessings to all the monsters in the lineage of my own soul. I couldn’t say how much he’d grow from it, but I was sure it’d be a pretty big bump.
“Um, well, to put it simply, I evolved when I became a demon lord, right? Think of it as kinda the same thing. You’d have a demon lord–type evolution.”
“What?! So it’ll change not only me, but all who serve me?”
“I think so. Probably.”
It was unclear to me just how much of an impact it’d have, but I’d bet it’d have its effects on Team Kurenai, at least.
“Oh, no, no, no, I can’t accept something so important happening to me without any warning—”
“Hold on, hold on. Okay. If you put it like that, then maybe you’re right, but now’s not the time to argue about it. We can’t be sure how strong our enemy’s going to be right now, so we gotta do everything we can to strengthen our forces, right?”
“I’m sure you’re right, but…”
Benimaru closed his eyes, troubled. Then he opened them again, looked at me, and heaved a long, heavy sigh. I guess he made up his mind—that or gave up, but same difference.
“But it’s not just me being awakened, is it? I think a paring down of our forces right now is dangerous, but what are your thoughts on that?”
“There are twelve people who’re qualified for this, but I’m only gonna do nine at this time. I’m gonna leave the demons to guard things, so I decided that a few days off-line won’t be a big problem.”
“I see. That—and we have the labyrinth. Perhaps they could buy enough time for us, at least.”
That approach convinced Benimaru well enough. Next was the issue of things going out of hand on me.
“There is one thing bothering me still, however.”
“What is that?”
“Right now, you’re stronger now than I was when I evolved. I don’t know exactly how strong you’ll get through this process. You might even wind up stronger than me, you know.”
If he did, I think it’d still feed back to me through the Food Chain feature of my ultimate skill Belzebuth… But regardless, the possibility is there. Plus, like, there’s no way Diablo won’t wind up stronger than me. I don’t think Benimaru and his kin will betray me, but I can’t deny the possibility that the sheer onrush of power could sweep them beyond control. I think they’ll be fine, and I set up this isolation chamber around the coliseum just in case, but there is still that anxiety in my mind, yeah.
“So even with that concern, you still want to go ahead with our awakening?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Well, I certainly feel loved anyway. You’re pulling out all the stops to ensure no enemy could ever defeat us, is that it? I’ll do whatever it takes to live up to those expectations, then.”
I don’t know if it’ll be true for everyone, but Benimaru, at least, understood my thoughts. He was all but assuring me that he’d never let himself go berserk with power. I’m glad I can count on him.
“I’ll trust you on that.”
“By all means.”
Shuna chose that moment to end her rambling speech. It was time for the award ceremony.
“Benimaru! Your command in this battle was truly outstanding! From this moment forward, you may style yourself as the Flare Lord!”
“Yes, my lord! Thank you for this glorious honor!”
Benimaru is usually a pretty friendly guy, but in front of his soldiers, he’s a high-ranking officer of the corps. He’s perfect at separating public and private affairs like that.
I had just granted him the title of Flare Lord. I meant that as kind of a stand-in for “demon lord,” just in case he actually did become a true demon lord like me. The “flare” part was meant to indicate intense fury. He may seem to keep his cool now (despite his more short-tempered past), but he’s still got that flame burning deep down as his essence. It’s just that he’s able to control it—bring it down to a casual campfire, if needed. As a sort-of demon lord in my service, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate title.
Question. Do you wish to use the prescribed amount of one hundred thousand souls to evolve the subject Benimaru?
Yes
No
That’s a yes.
As soon as I gave the word, a soul corridor was created between Benimaru and me—not the thin, wirelike link from before, but a solid, hefty industrial cable of sorts. Through it, a hundred thousand souls coursed over to Benimaru—and with them, the evolution began…
…or didn’t.
Nothing happened. Oh, great. Did I mess this up? I wondered for a moment before a thoughtful-looking Benimaru spoke to me.
“It would appear one more condition needs to be fulfilled.”
“How so?”
“Oh, er, not you, Sir Rimuru. The problem seems to be on my end…”
He sounded oddly hesitant. Huh? Something’s weird.
“What kinda problem?” I asked in a whisper. The answer came like a ton of bricks.
“Well, actually, I heard the ‘voice of the world’ just now, and it told me that I can evolve from an oni to a god-ogre—but if I do, I won’t be able to father any children.”
As Benimaru put it, becoming a god-ogre meant having a de facto infinite life span, so there was no need to have offspring at that point. Which…I guess is true? The oni race is pretty long-lived as it is, so if we’re talking the next level after that, I suppose having no natural life span at all is logical. God-ogres must be a kind of spiritual life-form, then. It doesn’t sound like demons have children, either, so I suppose that’s what happens if your natural life suddenly stretches on forever. You can come back from the dead anytime you want, so it’s not like you have to worry about preserving the species.
“Okay, so what’s the problem with that?”
Sadly for me, I’m in the same boat—I can’t have any children. Not that it’s much of a problem or inconvenience for me, but…
“…Well, it seems I have some lingering desires from back when I was still a mere ogre. I had forgotten all about it, but apparently I need to finish up my duty as the chief of our tribe.”
“And does that ‘duty’ mean you have to have kids, or else you can’t evolve?”
“Y…es. I sort of have to make sure there’s a generation after mine…”
Benimaru and I exchanged stares. We were right in the middle of this celebration, you know; couldn’t this wait until later? To the audience, I must’ve looked like I was congratulating Benimaru; but if I didn’t do something fast, everyone was gonna realize there was a problem.
I gave him another look, panicking a little. Then Benimaru awkwardly turned away. That was a rarity for him. He’s usually so fearless. It was quite moving to see, in a sense.
“Well, Benimaru, you need to figure this out, okay?”
“No, but…?”
“Right,” I said, raising my voice as I ignored Benimaru’s attempt at an excuse. “So you want to get married as your reward? Who did you wanna get married to?”
“Whoa! Sir Rimuru?!”
At times like these, it was best to show off my more manly side—I was treating this as if it were someone else’s problem. With all the arrangements I’d made for this day, Benimaru just needed to firm up his resolve and get over himself. It was a rough way of doing it, but it was a must for handling someone as reluctant as he was.
…Report. This behavior might lead to him strangling you.
Huh?
Raphael wasn’t giving me many answers. I mean, c’mon, it’s fine, isn’t it?
As I told myself that, the coliseum erupted in cheers. I supposed the audience picked up on my voice enough to know what I was saying.
“So you’ve finally made up your mind, have you?” Shuna chuckled.
“Well?” Hakuro asked, hand on sword. “Who are you going to choose as your bride?”
Before Benimaru could begin to answer the question, Momiji stood up—along with Alvis in her VIP box.
“Sir Rimuru! Permission to speak, please!”
“And for me as well, I hope? I have the same request as Lady Momiji!”
The emotional force from them both was palpable. I was starting to think this was getting out of hand.
“Okay, okay, okay. Will you two come over here for me, please?”
We were in the middle of this event, but there was no helping that now. The soldiers in the seats were now witnesses to an entirely different kind of ceremony. Nobody was complaining—in fact, if I interrupted this right now, they’d probably all howl about it. So I let the two women say their piece.
“My lord, I would like to ask for permission to marry Sir Benimaru as a reward for his services.”
Momiji was the first to speak, and she was certainly swinging for the fences. Hakuro wasn’t far behind her.
“Sir Rimuru, a reward is something that must be given by someone else. It’s not polite to simply ask for one. However, with that in mind, I hope you do my daughter a favor and grant her request.”
He was willing, as he explained to me, to give up his own military decoration if it’d help Momiji realize her dreams.
This was an arrangement far too difficult for me to refuse by this point. Benimaru was frozen in place, unable to keep up with us. He’s normally a man of very good judgment, but I got the feeling he was having trouble thinking straight.
Then someone else spoke up to make things even more confusing.
“Rimuru, my lord, please allow me to state my candidacy for the position of Sir Benimaru’s second wife.”
“What?!” Benimaru and I both exclaimed at Alvis’s offer. She and Momiji were in a heated battle over Benimaru, that much was for certain. “Love on the battlefield,” as it was famously referred to around Tempest—but since when had they come to this kinda truce over it?
“Okay, so…Momiji would be his ‘first wife,’ and Alvis, you’ll be the second?”
“Yes, my lord!”
“That is correct.”
Their faces couldn’t have looked happier. Benimaru, meanwhile, was about ready to faint. I wasn’t really sure what happened with these two women, but it seemed they’d established a clear pecking order.
“I would be a failure as a wife if I did anything to trouble Sir Benimaru. I will never ask him to choose between Alvis or me. Instead, we beg you—please marry us both simultaneously.”
“Wait, um, I can’t—”
“Don’t worry. I’ve discussed this thoroughly with Lady Momiji, and we’ve come to the conclusion that someone of your ability, Sir Benimaru, would not have difficulty with this arrangement.”
Uh, what kind of conclusion is that?
Benimaru looked my way, pleading for help.
Y’know, this is just as perplexing for me, too. I’m not sure if I can do much—
Understood. Under current Jura-Tempest Federation law, polygamy is permitted for the purpose of providing sufficient offspring for a species. However, the law as it stands restricts any additional marriage partners to widows seeking to bear children. In this particular case, a second wife would not be allowed.
Ohhh!
Right, yeah, I remember that. No clue why Raphael’s such an eager participant in this nonsense, but now I figured I could lend Benimaru a hand.
“…Sadly, Alvis, in our nation, a woman can become someone’s second wife only if they are widowed and seek to bear children. Now, there’s a chance we’ll change the rules once we make more progress on our legal infrastructure, but for now, we can’t allow you to—”
I tried to sound as apologetic as possible as I dismissed Alvis’s request. Benimaru nodded to me, visibly relieved, but any hopes that this would end the topic were quickly dashed.
“No need to worry about that, my lord. I’ve been doing some research of my own into the rules, and in fact, I just got married the other day…”
Huh? What do you mean you got married the other day? Like, with who? And doesn’t that make it even more impossible to marry Benimaru?
That was what I thought, but Alvis then blew my mind once more.
“…but I regret to tell you that my betrothed has recently passed. Thus, I have fulfilled the conditions required to become Sir Benimaru’s second wife.”
Huh?
Wait, wait—this wasn’t because of the war, was it? Because if so, we’ve got big problems… But Alvis’s argument was so deviously clever, protesting at all began to seem silly to me.
“H-hang on a second, okay? C-can you tell me who you married, exactly?”
“That would be Phobio in the VIP box over there,” Alvis said with a smile.
…
Um, Phobio’s alive, isn’t he?
Benimaru and I looked at each other, incredibly confused.
“I don’t have any more answers than you!”
“True…”
We didn’t even need Thought Communication. It took just a few glances to have that conversation.
Phobio carefully approached us, kneeling with a contrite look on his face.
“I’m really sorry about this. Alvis just started talking out of nowhere, and…”
“No, like, you married her? And now you’re dead?”
“Well…about that.”
And so came the big reveal. Between Momiji’s, Alvis’s, and Phobio’s guidance, I finally understood the whole story behind the plan, although it took a few moments.
To put it simply, Momiji and Alvis had engaged in combat with each other so often that they had developed a kind of friendship. Thanks to that, instead of fighting each other, they decided to team up. They both had a common goal, after all—so how could they arrange it so they were both Benimaru’s wife?
After racking their brains on the topic, they concluded the answer was to have Alvis marry Phobio. Then, after that, the wedded couple would go down to the labyrinth and battle to the death. Alvis emerged victorious, and now she was a widow—but since it was all down in the Dungeon, Phobio was instantly resurrected.
“She said we could marry for real if I beat her, but…I think I deserve to have a cry about this, don’t you?”
That was the motive for Phobio to play along, huh? Seeing him slumped over like this was so sad to see that I couldn’t help but sympathize with him. Like, what does happen after this, then?
“Rigurd, is this, uh, legal?”
“My lord, this is clearly the theory of power in action, the result of combining your wisdom and strength to gain what you want. As far as I’m concerned, it’s completely on the up-and-up!”
It is. And Rugurd, Regurd, and Rogurd were all nodding along with him. Seriously? I guess that, for monsters, what Alvis did was perfectly acceptable.
“You see, my brother, just how much determination Lady Momiji and Lady Alvis have shown for you? Please, be a man and give them an answer!”
Shuna was all for it, too, then? And not just her.
“If you hate her, say it. If you don’t want this attention, say so. That’s all you need to do, isn’t it? So why all the agonizing?”
Shion may have looked like she wasn’t using her head, but this was actually a very good argument. She wasn’t opposed to the arrangement at all; she was just urging him for an answer.
No opposition so far, then—nobody feels this is unethical or gross. And yeah, when it comes to monsters, survival of the fittest is the name of the game. The laws I’ve set in place are mainly there to ensure the strongest of us don’t hog all our resources. As long as everyone’s on the same page, and nobody’s complaining, I don’t see why I should object.
“Benimaru, how long are you going to stew over this? If you keep acting all indecisive, your father in the afterlife’s gonna laugh at you.”
“Soei… You say that, but my father loved none but my mother, and they brought Shuna and me into the world. What’s so wrong about me wanting to do the same?!”
He was unusually agitated. Soei’s observation must have hit home… But he wasn’t giving an inch.
“I am not saying it’s wrong. You seem to be lost over who you love, but that’s exactly why you should have children, isn’t it? A man and a woman can’t have a child if they don’t love each other. If you didn’t have any love for either of them, then simply tell them no from the start. But if you do have any sort of feelings for them…then take them and show us the results!”
That’s awfully straightforward of you, Soei. Surprisingly close to harassment, actually—but he looked so cool saying it, too. The guy drives me nuts.
But this argument also made sense to monsters. I had forgotten about this, but you couldn’t really have a child if there was no love involved. I guessed Benimaru was at an impasse because he felt it’d be unfaithful to love two people at the same time—but choosing only one would make the other sad. That was why he had put off giving an answer all this time. I certainly don’t mind that kind of thinking. But if he followed Soei’s advice and “showed some results,” wouldn’t that solve his problems?
“Alvis! Let’s see who can conceive Sir Benimaru’s child first!”
“You won’t beat me on that, Lady Momiji. My love is real—all I have to do is turn Sir Benimaru’s heart toward me!”
I thought that’d be the hardest part… But either way, they didn’t seem to be worried about much. It was just a matter of how Benimaru felt.
“Benimaru, we’re in the middle of a national celebration right now. A place where we’re meant to honor your military service, too. You’re allowed to be as selfish as you want, all right? So please give me a sincere answer. Will you answer to the love of Momiji and Alvis or not? Which is it?”
If Benimaru says no, this conversation is over. But if not…
“Momiji… Alvis… As the samurai guarding Sir Rimuru, I may not be able to stay close to you for all time. If that becomes the case, will you still choose me?”
Benimaru was nothing if not sincere. He was even showing concern for their future. If he became a father and had no lingering regrets in life, he would evolve into a god-ogre—and once that happened and he gained de facto infinite life, would he be in any position to care for Momiji and Alvis? That was a good point. He was the only one doing the evolving, so his wives would be left behind…in assorted ways.
It’d be kinda mean to ask for an immediate answer in a situation like this, wouldn’t it? It was a little hard for me to picture it, but I sure wouldn’t want my loved ones passing on before I did. And I don’t mean anyone in particular—that applies to all my friends. So I could understand Benimaru’s concern, and I thought Momiji and Alvis might be upset by it—but my fears were unfounded.
“That’s not a problem at all! Once I raise our child, I’ll find my own way to evolve as well.”
“I agree. And even if evolution is not possible for me, I know that my children will comfort you in your loss.”
Wow. Strong women. Totally unfazed in their sheer determination. And when Benimaru heard this, he flashed a breezy smile.
“Sir Rimuru! Will you allow me to take two wives, then?”
There was no way I could say no here, nor was I about to. Maybe I was setting a precedent I’d live to regret, but if people saw it as me making special exceptions in exchange for exemplary military performance, maybe it’d give them some more drive and motivation to work harder. So fine, then. Benimaru may pretend to be all gruff and unflappable, but he’s actually very pure of heart. If I hadn’t stepped in, he probably would’ve been single for all eternity, so let’s just see this as the right opportunity at the right time. If there’s anything I’m worried about, it’s the job he faces loving both Momiji and Alvis at the same time… But let’s just have faith that Benimaru can juggle that.
Right. Time to give him some final words of encouragement. I hopped off my chair, transformed into a person, and raised my voice high.
“It is granted! By my name, I hereby authorize the soul union between Benimaru, Momiji, and Alvis!”
For monsters, “marriage” is treated as a union of souls. And that’s more than just a metaphor—remember, you can’t have a child without love. That’s why I thought the new coinage here was appropriate.
Hearing my words, a smile erupted over Benimaru’s face. It was tinged with joy, his cheeks bright red—but he still stood tall as he hugged Momiji and Alvis.
“I thank you. And I promise you that I will demonstrate my full sincerity in loving them both!”
The majestic words from Benimaru made tears of joy flow from Momiji’s and Alvis’s eyes. They were so overcome with emotion that they seemed to be at a loss for words. Honestly, I envy Benimaru. A beautiful young girl on one side, a more mature beauty on the other—like having a flower for each hand. But as much of a late bloomer as he is at this stuff, I’m sure he’ll have a lot of adversity to overcome in his future. Of course, I’m not really one to comment. I’m asexual and genderless at this point, so it’s no skin off my nose…