{"id":3544,"date":"2025-10-08T08:48:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T08:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/?p=3544"},"modified":"2025-10-08T08:48:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T08:48:22","slug":"chapter-3-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/?p=3544","title":{"rendered":"CHAPTER 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

THE IMPERIAL GUESTS<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Three people stood there in the lavishly decorated room, all looking nervous and standing straight-backed as they awaited the chamber\u2019s owner\u2014Yuuki, the man who came to the Empire and immediately shot up to the rank of commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To them, the story of Yuuki was not any sort of surprise. After all, Yuuki was their boss, the leader of the Cerberus secret society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey,\u201d he said when he finally came in, \u201csorry to keep you waiting! You could\u2019ve sat down, you know.\u201d With him was Kagali, standing politely toward the rear like a secretary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot at all, Sir Yuuki,\u201d one man among the visitors said. \u201cWe remain your faithful servants. You hardly need to be considerate of us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This man was Damrada the Money, one of Cerberus\u2019s three boss-level officials. He was a hard man to grasp, all greasy and shady-looking. The other two were Misha the Lover\u2014a beautiful woman with a strange air about her, at times looking like both a young girl and a mature woman\u2014and Vega the Power, whose supple, well-balanced, carnivore-like body dominated anyone who laid eyes upon her. This was the trio at the top of Cerberus\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They all saluted Yuuki before sitting down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst, let us congratulate you on reaching the rank of commander.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. As someone who survived an encounter with the demon lord Guy, I was sure you could do it, Sir Yuuki.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPfft!<\/em> Let me<\/em> at that force, and taking over a division would be child\u2019s play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damrada and Misha expressed their good wishes to Yuuki. Vega, at the end, didn\u2019t seem so impressed. But Yuuki didn\u2019t let it bother him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re right, I think<\/em>, he pondered with an internal sneer. You really could be part of the hundred\u2026but after that, you\u2019d never hold out. No way anyone could ask you to command anything. You wouldn\u2019t stand a chance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I have to thank you, Damrada,\u201d he said, changing the subject, \u201cfor intervening on my behalf with Lord Gadora.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, don\u2019t be silly! It was all in anticipation for this moment, Sir Yuuki. All I did was introduce Lord Gadora to an otherworlder you secured for us, so there\u2019s hardly any need to thank me that much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHa-ha-ha! You\u2019re always so stiff, Damrada. Why don\u2019t you just accept my gratitude for a change?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am afraid I cannot, sir. I don\u2019t want you to expect more from me than I can provide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHa-ha! That\u2019s a funny joke.\u201d Yuuki looked at Damrada and grinned. That brought the point across well enough. After many years, they each trusted in the other\u2019s abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a shared laugh, Yuuki moved to the main topic. \u201cNow, Kagali, brief us on what the demon lord Rimuru is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Sir Yuuki. The demon lord Rimuru is currently\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his order, Kagali began her briefing. Her information mainly came from members of the Free Guild who remained in the West. The majority of Yuuki\u2019s agents there had fled, but several had used that as a cover to become underground spies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagali went over everything in her clear voice. Rimuru had total control over the Western Nations and was using it to form an army of fearsome size, preparing for an imperial invasion. She covered all of that and more, alongside some unbelievable phenomena occurring in the capital city of Rimuru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh\u2026 So they\u2019ve designated the lodging town along the Great Ameld River as a military base?\u201d said Yuuki. \u201cYeah, if they\u2019re going to put defensive lines in their own nation, they\u2019d have to do that, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIndeed,\u201d Kagali replied. \u201cThere are already nearly twenty thousand troops stationed at that base. They are using something called magitrains for material transport, so they likely stored up enough food resources to survive a siege.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s Tempest for you. The Empire\u2019s not gonna have an easy win there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI agree. They\u2019re importing food supplies from Farminus, so they\u2019ve got enough to feed a population of several million. The nation as a whole is far more powerful than it was a year ago, and I\u2019d say they could fight off the Empire all by themselves. Plus, the Council of the West is now entirely controlled by the demon lord Rimuru. If they can collate the West\u2019s forces into a cohesive whole, that would be substantial, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou think so? I\u2019m sure Rimuru tries to be thorough with everything, but he\u2019s pretty naive, as far as I\u2019m concerned. He probably figures that pitting numbers against numbers will just lead to more casualties, so I bet he wants to chase off the Empire with just his elites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI doubt someone like a demon lord would attempt something so foolish\u2026,\u201d Damrada added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He and Kagali discounted the idea, but that didn\u2019t change Yuuki\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, seriously, he really is that naive. But between that and how freakishly strong he is, I feel like he could actually do something\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his thoughts, he asked Kagali to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you. Continuing with the briefing\u2026 The capital of Rimuru has a force of over fifty thousand on standby, and reinforcements are streaming in from the former Eurazania. Their total fighting power will likely surpass one hundred thousand in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s pretty amazing, but it still gives the Empire a big advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCertainly, the numbers don\u2019t compare. The Empire has over a million, and their foot soldiers have been undergoing some kind of weird modifications, too. I think even the lowest infantry would rank at least a C. And consider all their bizarre armaments as well\u2014honestly, I don\u2019t think they stand a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those were Kagali\u2019s honest feelings. Yes, a hundred thousand pairs of boots on the ground was impressive, especially given their expert training and high morale. Normally, Tempest would be worthy of high praise. But compared with the Empire\u2019s full outfit, it simply paled by comparison. Even the defenses Kagali built for her castle back when she was the demon lord Kazalim wouldn\u2019t hold out against the violent charge of the Empire\u2019s numbers. A mere one hundred thousand, faced with that maelstrom, meant nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Yuuki had different ideas. \u201cI\u2019ll keep your advice in mind. Keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight. Now, moving on to their nation\u2019s technology\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kagali continued reporting the facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tempest had suddenly begun offering a variety of curious goods for sale\u2014tools to make life more convenient, for example, and fancy high-end weaponry; they served different purposes, but all were very effective gadgets. A lot of buyers wanted to sign exclusive contracts with the developers of these goods, but try as they might, none of the merchants had figured out where they\u2019re coming from. Their origins remained a mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026The magitrains I mentioned are another example, but as with the Empire, we\u2019re seeing a wave of technological innovation. Unfortunately, they are doing a thorough job with preventing information leaks. The Free Guild members weren\u2019t able to trace these goods back to their creators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were probably being developed internally. That much was clear, but nobody had any idea where. It frustrated Kagali as well, but they couldn\u2019t send her out to deal with the demon lord Rimuru herself. If she arose suspicion again, it\u2019d be all over, so Yuuki couldn\u2019t push his inner circle like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Kagali suddenly recalled something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you think about it, they must be developing new kinds of weapons, too. Considering that, perhaps we should be concerned about more than the size of their armies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki gave this a grin. \u201cI thought you\u2019d notice that. You\u2019re right, though. I was surprised to see the Empire developing tanks, but Rimuru\u2019s not far behind with his trains, either. It\u2019s not like the Empire has an exclusive license for scientific weaponry, so it\u2019d be stupid to look to that for an advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, the Empire wasn\u2019t the only side of this fight with otherworlder tech. Rimuru retained all his otherworlder memories, so there\u2019s no telling what kind of weapon he might decide to fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the Empire were fighting any normal nation, that opponent would have been shaken to the core by all its mysterious firepower. Even if that opponent had otherworlders, the knowledge they\u2019d learn from them would only add to the despair. The difference in fighting ability would become clear as day, and they\u2019d understand that there was no chance of winning. But what if the other side had the technical skill to develop the same kinds of things? They\u2019d immediately work out countermeasures, and any advantage would be evened out in the blink of an eye. In fact, if one side trusted in their tech too<\/em> much, they\u2019d have the tables turned and lose terrain on their foe so quickly that it\u2019d make their heads spin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki had seen all this, and by his estimate, he thought Rimuru\u2019s chances of victory weren\u2019t at all minor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRidiculous!\u201d interjected Vega. \u201cJust crush them, then! If you\u2019re that<\/em> worried about that stuff, just tear it all down! Problem solved!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it was a weapon or an army, the eminently confident Vega thought, all you had to do was trample over everything in your way. His observation demonstrated a critical lack of comprehension across this whole conversation. It made Yuuki rub a hand against his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guy\u2026 He\u2019s strong but so stupid. Too stupid, even\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If he had even a bit more brains in his head, he could be useful for so much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki sighed. \u201cWell, if it comes to that,\u201d he said, \u201cyou can be sure I\u2019ll ask you for it. But we can\u2019t misread the enemy here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That bit of ambivalence ought to have shut Vega up. Besides, he thought, in this world, quality counted for a lot more than quantity. No matter how big an army you assembled, you\u2019d never beat the demon lord Guy\u2014an example that proved you could never deride the power of an individual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To reach your strategic goal, it was important to master the information war and fully gauge your opponent\u2019s abilities. The easiest way to do that was by throwing someone decently strong against your foe and seeing what happens. In addition, abandoning an unwinnable battle was a proper practice to employ. And no matter how powerful an individual foe might have been, attacking with multiple forces at once could let you overcome them. In other words, looking at a side\u2019s overall war power was meaningless. What mattered was tactical skill\u2014how well they could effectively operate the forces at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along those lines, Tempest was a troublesome enemy. Rimuru was far from the only threat\u2014that nation had a ridiculous number of powerful magic-born. Even the Big Four\u2014Benimaru, Diablo, Shion, and Gobta\u2014were like four tactical units of their own. Defeating any one of them was a highly difficult mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I doubt it\u2019s just a matter of tech. They got a lot of tough people on their side, so sheer numbers aren\u2019t gonna matter with them. Guess it shows how right I was to capitulate to Guy earlier, huh?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As far as Yuuki knew, there were several people stronger than Gobta, which meant at least a few others were as powerful as the Big Four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy real concern is the magic-born comparable to Saints or demon lords,\u201d muttered Damrada, apparently in agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right. Because it\u2019s not just the Big Four with them,\u201d said Yuuki. \u201cThere\u2019s magic-born like Geld and Gabil as well. It\u2019s hard to understand why all these demon lord\u2013class people keep coming over there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more Yuuki thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Multiple people, each with strength on the level of Clayman, in the service of Rimuru, a lone demon lord. If you were aware of that, you\u2019d almost wish it were a joke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLucky for us that the demon lord Rimuru isn\u2019t our enemy right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone except for Vega quietly nodded at Yuuki\u2019s statement. Now they had a sort of agreement with Guy that placed them under his affiliation. Anyone who messed with Yuuki and his team would be inviting the wrath of Guy upon them. With Yuuki uninterested in challenging Rimuru, they were at an armistice, more or less\u2014and Yuuki was selfish enough to try using this situation as best as he could. Even if they faced off sometime, it\u2019d only be after he regained his losses in the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that resolved in his mind, he returned to the main topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes that complete your report?\u201d he asked Kagali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t able to obtain detailed military information, so that\u2019s all the accurate intel we have. But there is one curious topic I\u2019d like to bring up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the capital of Rimuru, there\u2019s been ongoing disaster training taking place, but the local government recently added evacuation drills to the schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This training involved pretty sensible matters\u2014running into sturdy buildings, putting out fires, that sort of thing. But the evacuation drill this time had citizens practicing fleeing into town from outside the four main gates. It didn\u2019t make much sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFleeing into<\/em> town?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. Our investigators weren\u2019t sure what it was about, so they decided to split up and take a closer look.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne on the outside, one on the inside?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly. Then, they said, they saw something\u2014a strange sight that looked like a dream\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA strange sight?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Misha. There was an announcement, and exactly ten minutes after that, the entire town vanished without a trace. All that remained was one single gate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the investigator left outside, there were some security personnel left by the gate, guiding any stragglers into a nearby cave. Once the coast was clear, the investigator braced himself and went through the gate\u2014only to find himself in a mazelike chamber of stone walls. He quickly fled back out the gate in a panic, proving that it had two-way access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat might be their Dungeon, I think\u2026,\u201d said Yuuki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you know what it is, Sir Yuuki?\u201d Damrada asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. I think Kagali knows, too, but there\u2019s a tourist attraction in town called the Dungeon, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCorrect. A structure with wandering monsters for adventurers to challenge themselves against.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably that. I heard a rumor that there\u2019s a whole city inside that Dungeon, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA city inside<\/em> it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damrada didn\u2019t seem ready to believe that, but Yuuki and Kagali were serious. It was hard to explain to someone who didn\u2019t already know, but that was the reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. It\u2019s a little crazy to think of normally, but\u2026 You know, it takes someone like Rimuru to make it possible. The Dungeon goes down a hundred floors, after all, and it\u2019s guarded by Veldora at the bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026Is that really true?\u201d Damrada questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course. I heard it from Veldora himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That shut up Damrada pretty quickly. Kagali felt a little bad for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut if you think about it,\u201d she said, \u201cit makes sense. Do you think this Dungeon city might contain vital infrastructure for Tempest\u2014for example, their technological development site?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, I see,\u201d replied Yuuki. \u201cI can believe it\u2026 In fact, it makes good sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no limit to what Rimuru would try. Yuuki didn\u2019t even let it faze him any longer. If anything, it excited him. And while this was only a guess, he doubted he was wrong. If it was Rimuru, he concluded, it had to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat does this say about the war, then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat I really don\u2019t know. I always thought you couldn\u2019t take those guys with a normal approach, but handling a city defense like that<\/em>? I\u2019m sure it\u2019s gonna shock the Empire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki had assumed that Rimuru wouldn\u2019t fight the final battle on his own turf\u2014he\u2019d never let his citizens become casualties. But what if he had a surefire method to ensure every single civilian was out of harm\u2019s way? If he did, the enemy would have to rewrite their entire strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, so maybe they\u2019re taking a wait-and-see approach with the lodging town\u2014see if they wind up fighting there or not. Maybe they\u2019ll fight the real<\/em> war around their capital. If the Empire forces miss the gate and pass right on by, there could be a surprise attack from the rear, kinda thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd then the Western Nations\u2019 army can pin them down from the front.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey could send an advance team to examine and analyze the Empire\u2019s fighting power. Then, while the Western Nations and the Empire are fighting a war of attrition, they can take their time crafting a response.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a terrifying approach to think of. He really is<\/em> a demon lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they understood Yuuki\u2019s thoughts, Kagali, Damrada, and Misha all showed visible surprise. They knew conventional warfare wouldn\u2019t be enough to stop the demon lord Rimuru, but they hadn\u2019t thought this<\/em> far. Just imagining having to fight him gave them all headaches. It\u2019d just be too hard\u2014and now, the fight between Rimuru and the Empire was starting to sound like a lot of fun to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, Sir Yuuki, what\u2019s your next move?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misha was waiting for the right time to ask. She and her cohorts knew Yuuki took on the demon lord Guy and lost. They remained loyal to him anyway, but they still weren\u2019t sure what exactly was on his mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cerberus trio was fine with the Empire giving Rimuru and his friends a hard time, but no matter what, they wanted to avoid playing a role in that. Yuuki promised Guy that he wouldn\u2019t seriously support the Empire\u2014but if he was a commander now, there was every concern he\u2019d get caught in his own trap. For Cerberus, having an imperial commander on their side was extremely attractive, but it also came with the danger of getting involved in military affairs. That was an eat-or-be-eaten world; one wrong move and they\u2019d face annihilation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those were the motives behind Misha\u2019s question, and Yuuki was fully aware of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry. If Rimuru holds out for me, that suits all of us just fine. I mean, if we want to make our ideals a reality, the Empire gets in the way of that, don\u2019t they? I want to send them to their ruin someday, and not just because Guy told me to\u2026 And now that I\u2019m a commander, I get to control the timing. Just think of it like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that Yuuki was one of the Empire\u2019s three top commanders, he knew all about their internal operations. Getting an inside view of their military strategy even let him read into the common ground he shared with them. Naturally then, when they went on the move, he\u2019d be able to predict the size of their forces\u2014as well as when defenses in imperial territory would be the lightest. If the Western Nations put up a tough fight, the Empire would have to deploy that much more firepower against them. Then, no matter how stout their defenses, Yuuki was sure he\u2019d find an opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019ll hit<\/em> them where they\u2019re open!\u201d Yuuki said, smacking the table for effect. Kagali smiled, still standing up straight, while Damrada and the others grew excited in their seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you suggesting a coup\u2026?\u201d Damrada asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, I love it,\u201d Misha gushed. \u201cNow that\u2019s<\/em> the Sir Yuuki I know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHeh-heh! Sounds like a lot of fun. Empire, demon lord, I\u2019ll crush \u2019em all!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vega was a little too<\/em> excited, maybe, but Yuuki decided not to worry about it as he got back to the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s my final goal anyway. Part of my promise with Guy was to stir up trouble with the Empire, too, and I gotta live up to my end of it. I\u2019m gonna mess around with the West, too, but I don\u2019t think anyone\u2019s gonna complain about that<\/em>, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled warmly. Guy hadn\u2019t warned him against that, so Yuuki was free to do what he liked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you talking about having the Empire fight the Western Nations, then taking the Empire\u2019s head in the meantime\u2026?\u201d Damrada inquired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVicious as always, huh?\u201d said Misha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, not really,\u201d Yuuki answered. \u201cI think it\u2019s a plan pretty much anyone could come up with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would, maybe, but few would actually go through with it. Or maybe they\u2019d try but not be powerful and talented enough to make it happen. Yuuki was the exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLord Gadora gave me a lot of information, too. That old man loves anything novel, and he\u2019s got a flexible mind, but for some reason, he just hates<\/em> the Western Nations. Like, to an obsessive level. It\u2019s a lot of the reason why he\u2019s developed all these weapons and contributed them to the Empire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh yes, that\u2019s a famous story,\u201d said Damrada. \u201cEven I was aware of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight? \u2019Cause if he\u2019s looking for things that could crush the Empire\u2019s ambitions, you\u2019d think<\/em> he\u2019d see the demon lord Rimuru as that. I\u2019m sure it\u2019ll dawn on him once he starts messing with the guy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026And then what will happen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, Lord Gadora has a ton of influence with the imperial military, but in terms of actual power, he\u2019s got almost none. That\u2019s because he\u2019s more interested in revenge than anything. So if I can lead him the right way, I think I can pit him against Rimuru himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, thought Yuuki, he\u2019d like to have Gadora poke around for information about the Dungeon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is your way to hassle Rimuru and weaken the Empire at the same time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou got it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki briskly nodded at Damrada. He wasn\u2019t going to touch Rimuru, but if someone else wanted to challenge him, they were perfectly welcome\u2014hence all his conniving plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He took this opportunity to discuss his thoughts in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way I see it, there are three people we need to watch out for in the Empire. One of them is Lord Gadora himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gadora was a master sorcerer, a magic-born who had lived for many, many years. People saw him as a mystery figure who knew everything that went on behind the scenes in the imperial capital, and he was also a hero in his own right, one of the few survivors of the previous invasion attempt against Veldora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho are the other two?\u201d a curious Kagali asked behind Yuuki. He gave her a frustrated scowl in response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I don\u2019t know much about them yet, exactly. That\u2019s why I know they\u2019re so much trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with his extensive intelligence network, Yuuki hadn\u2019t found these two. Just hearing that indicated how slippery they were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre they among the Imperial Guardians\u2019 upper ranks?\u201d Misha asked, perhaps suspecting something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki gave this a vague consent. There were rumors around military circles that certain Imperial Knights\u2014referred to as the Single Digits\u2014were even stronger than the three division commanders. In Yuuki\u2019s opinion, this was more than just a rumor. He could feel it. Here he was, a full-fledged commander, but his own numerical ranking was still in the double digits. He could try challenging someone higher up to a ranking duel, but he\u2019d have to figure out who to challenge first. Becoming a Single Digit required winning a battle staged in front of the emperor, and even that fact was revealed only to those very close to earning a shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinking that I can beat any Single Digit in the group, but I don\u2019t wanna reveal my best moves in front of the enemy, so I haven\u2019t sent a request to the emperor yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki became a commander despite that, thanks to some lucky connections with Lord Gadora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThing is, though, even if you try taking someone on, maybe the real<\/em> boss will be someone else the whole time, huh? You can\u2019t be sure about anything. So what I guess I\u2019m saying is: There\u2019s at least nine<\/em> people you gotta watch out for, sort of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vega had a good point. It surprised Yuuki as he nodded at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, you\u2019re right. There\u2019s a chance my real<\/em> nemesis is hidden among those nine. But I can\u2019t watch out for someone I\u2019ve never seen before, you know? So right now, I\u2019m looking closely at someone who\u2019s a more public figure than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Damrada asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis name\u2019s Tatsuya Kondo. He runs the Imperial Information Bureau.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh yes. He is<\/em> hard to grasp, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know his name and face but nothing else about him,\u201d said Misha. \u201cIt\u2019s bizarre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tatsuya Kondo, as the name suggested, was an otherworlder. Any more personal information than that was a complete unknown. Rumors pegged him as a \u201cmysterious figure stalking the halls of information.\u201d His rank was first lieutenant, but none of the unit commanders had the right to give him orders. The Imperial Information Bureau, in other words, was higher up the hierarchy than the military itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s freaky, isn\u2019t it? My guess is that he\u2019s one of the Single Digits, too,\u201d said Yuuki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026I see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPut it that way, and it makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damrada and Kagali deeply nodded. Misha pondered this as well but had no objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo who do you think the other one is?\u201d Vega asked, already sounding disinterested and hoping to hurry Yuuki along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHa-ha-ha! Patience, okay? The first thing is to meet up with this Tatsuya Kondo. I\u2019ll see if I can request a meeting with him. So as for the second person, she\u2019s also kinda a mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean by that<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCalm down, Vega.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh\u2026 Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tone of Yuuki\u2019s voice as he gave Vega a light warning was warm, almost gentle, but it made Vega break into a nervous sweat. It showed, in that moment, just how wide the chasm was between those two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe second person is someone who sits next to the emperor. I don\u2019t know who it is, but she strikes this incredible presence<\/em>. I can feel her even with the imperial set of blinds between us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u201c\u201c\u2026?\u201d\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nobody knew who it was\u2014or really, nobody except Yuuki even realized someone like that existed. That made the potential danger crystal clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026So there\u2019s someone like that, always with the emperor?\u201d Damrada asked, speaking for his companions. \u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything about it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think so. She felt so present in the room, but nobody notices her at all. That has<\/em> to be bad news.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room fell silent for a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019re sure she was there? I haven\u2019t even heard rumors of such a figure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, look at it another way\u2014if we heard that from anyone except Sir Yuuki, we never would\u2019ve believed it, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki smiled at his doubtful underlings. \u201cEh, it\u2019s no big deal. Just remember\u2014if I attempt to stage a coup in the Empire, those three are probably gonna get in our way. I\u2019ll eliminate Lord Gadora first, so\u2026Damrada, can you look into Tatsuya Kondo for me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd, Misha, keep up with your current mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnderstood. I will continue engaging the commander of the Armored Division.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat about me?\u201d Vega asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to go undercover in the Magical Beast Division. With your muscle, you\u2019ll get in the Imperial Guardians in a flash. But whatever you do, don\u2019t kill the division commander, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure. I\u2019ll try not to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vega flashed a ferocious smile, glad to finally be on duty. Is he really gonna be all right?<\/em> fretted Yuuki, but he decided to trust him anyway. If the leader did<\/em> get killed, that\u2019d delay the Empire\u2019s entire military operation, which was a concern\u2026 But Yuuki opted not to worry about it unless it happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three heads of Cerberus left the chamber, leaving Yuuki alone with Kagali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSir Yuuki\u2026 Do you think they\u2019ll all pull it off?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho knows? I thought I was being pretty careful, and then I caught a tiger named Guy by the tail. I\u2019m not in any position to say this, but I sure hope they can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damrada was off investigating Tatsuya Kondo. Misha was attempting to inveigle herself with the Magical Beast Division commander. And Vega was about to embark on a standout career in the Composite Division. These were dangerous missions, and they were doing them all for Yuuki\u2019s sake. As their leader, he\u2019d have to trust in their success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut we\u2019ve finally made it to this point, haven\u2019t we? The battle\u2019s about to begin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt sure is. It\u2019ll be fun to see who wins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs if you can just sit back and watch. Even if you pull off that coup, the hard part comes after<\/em> that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. I have Laplace and the gang working on that for me. I got everything covered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two shared a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their mission wasn\u2019t to have the Empire win. The longer they could drag out this upcoming war, the weaker the Empire would become. That\u2019s what they wanted, and the fate of Yuuki and Kagali\u2019s plans rode on whether the ensuing coup attempt succeeded or failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFirst, we make the emperor our puppet and establish a new Empire. Then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026Why don\u2019t we forge a peace treaty with the Western Nations?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026We\u2019ll have the emperor assassinated!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the demon lord Rimuru proved too hard to kill, there was no need to force that. Guy had defeated Yuuki fair and square, and with that, Yuuki gave up on conquering the world in the short-to-midterm time frame. Until he had the kind of absolute power he needed, he now realized, trying to get his way with violence was the height of folly. For now, he thought, adding more winning cards to his hand needed to be his focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if the war kept raging, and more blood could be shed\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026Then I\u2019ll awaken to a true demon lord once more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping to hear from ya, Kagali. And by then, I oughtta be able to fully use all the new powers I got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuuki had awoken to an ultimate skill. Already, he could feel his life span extending. And now he knew the truth: There were those greater than him\u2014people like the demon lord Guy, ruling over the world with absolute force. Conquering that world without addressing them would be a fantasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, best to slip under Guy\u2019s radar and build up force. He\u2019d stir up the Empire, keep the war going, and weaken both the East and the West. Once pessimism set in, and everyone was weary of war, if he could take that moment to assassinate the emperor\u2026the world would face an even more appalling age of chaos. They could ride that chaos, he and Kagali, and awaken yet more within themselves\u2026and that, in essence, was the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, keep being careful, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, Sir Yuuki. Keep being careful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once more, they looked at each other and smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Even two intelligent schemers like them didn\u2019t see the Dungeon as a very important factor. They just saw it as a neat way for Tempest to hide their top-secret facilities\u2014even a town, for that matter\u2014and they figured bringing it to Lord Gadora\u2019s attention would be a good way to drive Rimuru nuts. They may be visiting it themselves someday, so they figured it\u2019d be a good idea to have it checked out for clues on how to crack it\u2014but neither of them spent much time thinking about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to that, when their dungeon runners came back with a rather unexpected report, Yuuki paid it no mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Upon learning what Yuuki showed him, Lord Gadora wrenched up his face, deep in thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hmmm. Right when it\u2019s time to put our Empire on the move and defeat the god Luminus, too\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Veldora resurrected, they had to embark on a major rewrite of their plans. That couldn\u2019t be avoided. The last time they staged a campaign this large, the Storm Dragon crushed the whole thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, in order to ensure their plan was impenetrable, some wanted to wait until the Storm Dragon fully disappeared from existence. Some wanted to tame him with the power of the new weapons they successfully developed. Others wished to point their armies around the Forest of Jura to avoid riling the Storm Dragon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opinions were split evenly among the three factions, delaying the Empire\u2019s movements\u2014and thanks to that, they went and let the Storm Dragon revive itself. This greatly angered the war hawks in the \u201ctame the Storm Dragon\u201d faction, but the more mainstream minds in the other two groups didn\u2019t give them room to speak. If those \u201cnew weapons\u201d didn\u2019t work, after all, their hopes were dashed a second time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Gadora\u2019s mind, the Storm Dragon didn\u2019t really matter. His mission, the reason he kept living, was to eradicate Luminism from the West and take revenge against the Seven Days Clergy who killed his best friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A newspaper he ordered from the West contained an article outlining the Seven Days Clergy\u2019s evil deeds, under the headline THE HEROES\u2019 DECLINE. He also knew, at the same time, about reports that the Seven Days Clergy were slain. But Gadora refused to accept this at face value. At the very least, he was sure Gren, the Sunday Priest, was alive and lurking in the muck somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past few months, information from the West had grown garbled and entangled, and it was hard to investigate much of it. Thanks to that, he had no way to confirm it\u2014but there were rumors that the Rozzos had been toppled as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah, but it\u2019s all rumors. I\u2019m sure Gren was what ultimately became of that one Hero. He may have been old, but he was no adversary to sniff at.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, while the Council seemed to be on sure footing, Gadora had confirmed some serious goings-on behind the scenes. Nothing he heard, however, indicated that the Western Holy Church had weakened at all. That was proof positive, in Gadora\u2019s eyes, that Gren was alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019d be so easy to ignore the Storm Dragon and just invade the West, but noooo\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gadora\u2019s thoughts were along those lines, but even he knew how difficult that would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the Storm Dragon is teaming up with a demon lord? It would be sheer stupidity to position an army against a monster like that, living outside any sort of reasoned magic. I helped construct the theories behind our new weapon, and it should be possible to stop him in his tracks, at least\u2014but destroy him? That\u2019s another story. And forget about ever taming him\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a survivor of the Empire\u2019s last campaign, he had personal insight into the threat Veldora posed. The experience taught him that the war hawks were being far too rash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those fools completely fail to understand how hard it is to rule over a spiritual life-form with a spirit of your own!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t impossible. They had conducted experiments on demons along those lines, and some of the results had been encouraging. Gadora knew that well enough\u2014he came up with the theory for the work, so of course he would. But based on their verified results, he concluded that Veldora was strictly off-limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had submitted a report to the emperor along those lines, but sadly, he was shut down. \u201cIf someone wants to try it<\/em>,\u201d he was told, \u201clet them<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, the problem now was Rimuru, a demon lord who built a nation and unified the Forest of Jura at an astonishing pace. If he had teamed up with the Storm Dragon, attacking the forest would have been nothing but foolish. If the entirety of the Empire\u2019s military were deployed for the effort, that would be one thing\u2014but to make the most effective use of such a force, they\u2019d need to lure the enemy into more advantageous terrain, and that was an impossibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What, then, if they must fight the enemy on their own turf?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Dungeon, eh? And they might be developing otherworld weapons as well? We must investigate this. If we could defeat Veldora and Rimuru while losing less than, say, a third of our force, I\u2019d call it a fine job. Otherwise, we have no chance of winning against the Western Nations, at the end of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The words were mostly directed at Gadora himself. But he was making a mistake. He thought that Luminism, and the Western Nations supporting it, would be where they\u2019d make their stand\u2014not Tempest. And whether he picked up on this error in judgment would be key to deciding his fate, going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Following Yuuki\u2019s orders, three people were put on assignment\u2014selected for their spots in the Composite Division and having an acquaintance with Lord Gadora. They would all be meeting today, and Yuuki had invited Gadora to his personal chamber for the occasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first was Shinji Tanimura, formerly a college student in Japan who spent most of his days holed up in a university research lab. He still retained his beloved white lab coat, which had become his trademark here. The second was Marc Lauren, a muscular, brown-haired man in his midtwenties; he was the oldest of the trio, a buff bodybuilder type who\u2019d go around in a tank top and jeans even in winter. The third was Zhen Liuxing, young and taciturn; it was hard to gauge his thoughts, but he always did what he was told. His long, braided black hair ran down his back, and he preferred comfortable, traditional Chinese-style clothing\u2014under which, it was said, he hid a litany of assassin\u2019s weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shinji had evolved to become the leader of this group, Marc and Zhen taking orders from him, and now they stood up straight before Yuuki and Gadora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is an honor to see you after so long!\u201d said the dark-haired Shinji, speaking for his group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, long it certainly has been,\u201d said Gadora. \u201cAnd, Marc and Zhen\u2014I trust you two are doing well?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, really well. Glad you\u2019re still okay, too, old man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026I am not feeling that<\/em> well, my lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gadora cheerfully smiled at Marc and Zhen. \u201cGood! The same as always, then. I understand you\u2019re working hard in your squadrons as well. It\u2019s quite a relief to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shinji and his friends were otherworlders placed under Yuuki\u2019s guidance. He provided care for people like them from all over the world; they were sent to the Empire to live, whether they had skills suited for battle or not. There, they\u2019d be received by the Cerberus secret society, and then Lord Gadora the sorcerer would see to them. His mission was to gain what otherworld information he could, and if the otherworlders had a talent for combat and were interested in pursuing it, Gadora would also train them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE IMPERIAL GUESTS Three people stood there in the lavishly decorated room, all looking nervous and standing straight-backed as they awaited the chamber\u2019s owner\u2014Yuuki, the man who came to the Empire and immediately shot up to the rank of commander. To them, the story of Yuuki was not any sort of surprise. After all, Yuuki […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3544"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3545,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3544\/revisions\/3545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}