I took a sip of Shuna\u2019s tea. It had a soft, gentle flavor. Testarossa\u2019s tea was all but complete perfection, but this was rather tasty as well, in a comforting way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHuh. This is pretty good, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was glad to hear Guy was satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, you\u2019re right. And this cake is more than just a bunch of sugar\u2014there\u2019s so many layers of depth to it. The tea has a lovely, full-bodied aroma, but the bitterness only serves to enhance the sweetness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Velzard seemed to like it, too. That\u2019s a relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah. This room\u2019s got some nice decoration, too, doesn\u2019t it? I really dig furnishings like these.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t expecting to hear that from Guy. A tyrant like him would\u2019ve been the last person in the world, I thought, to understand stuff like wabi-sabi<\/em>. Guess I really need to stop judging people on preconceived notions like that. They say that the warlord Oda Nobunaga was into this sort of look as well. He liked to spend time in tea rooms where he didn\u2019t have to worry about his social status; maybe he valued the ability to reflect on matters over some tea that way. I\u2019m just making all that up, but still, I guess showing Guy in here was the right move, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeling a little more at ease, I decided to elicit some more feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, yeah? I\u2019m glad you like it. You\u2019re actually the first people I\u2019ve entertained in here. It\u2019s the most extravagant reception room we have, so I only show it off to people I wanna impress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah? Trying to make yourself look good around me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI sure am. Can\u2019t really be a demon lord if I didn\u2019t, y\u2019know? If I was willing to abandon all my pride, I\u2019d just spend my life sneaking around in the shadows instead. Which would\u2019ve been fun, maybe, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right. So a quick jab to start. Show him that I wasn\u2019t at his total <\/a>mercy before I heard him out. Depending on his reaction, I\u2019d adjust how I dealt with him. But Guy just laughed at how much I was overcompensating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh-ha-ha! Trying to feel out the likes of me<\/em>, eh? Hilarious!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t, but at least I knew I was still wrapped around his finger now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut no, no worries. What I want from you, you know, it\u2019ll help you guys as well, all right? I just want you to keep the war going and destroy the Empire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy paused to take a graceful sip of his tea. He\u2019s totally in his element here, like some kind of fairy-tale king. I mean, demon lords pretty much are<\/em> kings (or queens) in this world, but regardless. But how Guy-like to throw me a fastball straight down the middle like that, huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn other words, you want me to reduce Ludora\u2019s pawns to zero without killing him? Given your apparent reluctance to answer Benimaru\u2019s question, I\u2019m assuming it\u2019s something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWellll, you know, there aren\u2019t any real strict rules for determining a winner in this game. The only actual rule we have is that players can\u2019t meddle with each other directly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo if the opponent admits defeat, or dies, or it\u2019s impossible to continue the game itself\u2014any of those conditions will count as a win?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI suppose so.\u201d Guy nodded, taking another sip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he put it, he and the emperor had been duking it out for over two thousand years. Not directly<\/em> fighting, mind you\u2014they had a few scrapes before then, but once Milim was born, and Veldanava the Star-King Dragon perished, they began exercising a little more restraint. Whenever they had a battle, the impact on the world was just too great\u2014they could no longer throw everything they had into the conflict. It was a wild story, but one look at Guy in front of me, and I knew he wasn\u2019t fibbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the game continued to the present day, Guy building up his pawn count while maintaining the world\u2019s balance. A lot of his monsters enjoyed incredibly long life spans, and he was patiently waiting for them to evolve over time. But nobody, not even his fellow <\/a>Octagram members, knew Guy\u2019s true intentions. Not even Milim, he claimed, was aware of the game between him and Ludora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen why\u2019re you telling me<\/em>?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMmm? Why do you think? You\u2019re the first person in all these years to push Ludora this far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy didn\u2019t need me to inform him that the imperial army had been annihilated. With all the gigantic magic spells we were tossing around, I\u2019d be shocked if he didn\u2019t notice, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKilling them all was absolutely the correct answer, though. You kept Ludora from earning any more pieces for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sounds like Guy knew Ludora\u2019s objective here, too. Thanks to him, I now had a fully accurate version of the story. The emperor, in so many words, was giving his elite soldiers a trial to endure\u2014a crushing defeat, where the survivors would (hopefully) evolve for him. The basic idea was to gin up an excuse for war the citizenry would accept, expose his army to a lethal threat, and get as many survivors evolved as he could. He had proof it\u2019d work, too, because the failed imperial expedition against Veldora long ago produced a certain number of Enlightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy had taken a similar approach. Non-awakened, to him, were useless as pawns, and so he tacitly accepted conflicts between demon lords. The more true demon lords that got awakened, the more of an upper hand he\u2019d have in the game. That was the whole basis for his strategy, and after that, it was just a matter of timing. Once he was absolutely certain he was above his opponent, that\u2019s when he\u2019d stake it all. It had proven to be surprisingly difficult, however, what with all the obstacles in the way\u2026 So they had kept on playing up to now, with no winner decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For both Guy and Ludora, it was a grandiose operation, one that seemed to stretch across countless generations. For most life on this world, it was nothing but an annoyance, but for the two of them, it was probably just a way to fill their free time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd this time, too, if even a few dozen people could\u2019ve survived an encounter with Veldora, some of them were bound to be awakened. I\u2019m sure that\u2019s what Ludora assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I didn\u2019t even register in Ludora\u2019s mind, then? That must\u2019ve <\/a>made me one hell of a game piece for Guy. It\u2019s a little frustrating, but that\u2019s the reality here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd you want me to use this current opening to attack the Empire?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ll leave the method up to you. And I know this goes without saying, but merely posing<\/em> as a superpower is pointless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m sure he\u2019s right. A show of force was no threat to these guys. It\u2019d just lead to more casualties without offering any strategic advantage. So forget about me sending a massive army or anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you happen to know this, is there anyone in Ludora\u2019s forces we should be particularly on guard for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, I dunno. My focus has always been on how well I can train my own hand in this game. If I\u2019m the strongest<\/em>, after all, then it doesn\u2019t matter how weak or strong the other guy is, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just the kind of arrogance I\u2019d expect from a tyrant like him. This is the type of guy who never bothers looking at his opponent\u2019s discards in a poker game\u2014then, just when you think you beat him, away he goes with a full house like it was nothing. Masayuki, too, was the sort of guy who could draw a royal flush straight off the deck; I wouldn\u2019t want to sit at a card table with either of them. But all this \u201cgame\u201d talk\u2019s getting me sidetracked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, either way, I think we need to get things crystal clear with the Empire\u2014and soon. That\u2019s based on my own credo, though, not because you asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We couldn\u2019t put this problem off any longer. We needed to open dialogue with Emperor Ludora at once\u2026 And if we did, it\u2019d be smarter to come in with as much of an advantage as we could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re not planning to travel there yourself, are you, Sir Rimuru?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru looked a bit put off. But I wasn\u2019t bending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat else can I do? I can\u2019t leave Yuuki out to dry. I want to join up with him instead, and then we can hopefully work out peace on our terms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWouldn\u2019t that be dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be dangerous no matter what I do. Let\u2019s say that someone else goes out there and signs a peace treaty. Would you trust in that at all?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>I sure couldn\u2019t. It\u2019d clearly be a conspiracy to catch me off guard\u2014and then, while I\u2019m out walking in the woods or whatever, they\u2019d send out their assassins to get me. I\u2019d have to be on guard at all times, and that\u2019s gonna majorly crimp the life of leisure I\u2019m tryin\u2019 to build here. I certainly don\u2019t want that<\/em> to happen, so I needed to settle this matter for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s a fair point. Who will guard you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru gave this a half grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is fine by me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He certainly seemed confident. I knew I could rely on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing this exchange made Guy chuckle. \u201cAh-ha-ha! You\u2019re a funny guy, but so\u2019s your associate over there. I sense something a bit odd about him, too. Maybe he\u2019s still got some room to evolve, hmm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe might, yeah. Benimaru\u2019s already the most trusted of my inner circle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh? What\u2014and not Diablo?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, he\u2019s strong, but\u2026you know, kind of a handful\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This felt like heartfelt sympathy from Guy. That\u2014and also him treating me as a friend. I could tell from his reaction that he\u2019s got a lot of problems of his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, there\u2019s one thing I wanna confirm with you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLudora\u2019s got the ability to confer ultimate skills on other people, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy gave me a thoughtful look, eyes squinting. \u201cWell spotted. Yes, Ludora\u2019s got quite the remarkable little trick there, lending his powers to others like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thought so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd do you know how this \u2018lending\u2019 works, exactly?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was important. If Guy knew the terms of this deal, it\u2019d help us narrow down the list of people in the Empire we had to watch out for. Right now, that list couldn\u2019t have been more than ten people by my estimation, but I didn\u2019t want to work entirely on assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cAhhh, don\u2019t worry. That power\u2019s not omnipotent or anything. He can only hand out powers for a limited time, and they\u2019re degraded versions, too. As for who qualifies\u2026 Well, I know you have to be awakened to receive the power, at least. That\u2014and there\u2019s some other restrictions, too, that I\u2019m not fully aware of. It\u2019s really not as much of a threat as it sounds like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a real Hail Mary of a question, but he gave a remarkably quick, succinct answer. That\u2019s just about all the intel I need, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But\u2026like, it\u2019d really take someone like Guy to say that passing out ultimate skills \u201cisn\u2019t a threat,\u201d you know? I was starting to think Milim and Guy were cut from the same cloth. These differences in perception were needlessly complicating my job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watching Guy as he tucked into his slice of cake, I couldn\u2019t help but resent him a little. Seeing him talk about world-altering battle while enjoying a fancy-pants teatime snack annoyed me, and the way he treated me like yesterday\u2019s news once I accepted his request was similarly irritating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026But wait a second. We\u2019re supposed to be talking about some important stuff here\u2026 Or so I think, at least. But despite that, our little private chat seemed to be at its end, somehow. Disgusted, I stabbed my fork into my cake. Nothing like a little sugar to get the brain going. Time to sort out everything I\u2019ve learned without letting Guy get under my skin too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n It was quiet, the air calm and peaceful. But despite our business being over, there was no sign that Guy was leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Skillfully, Shuna poured a refill into Guy\u2019s empty teacup. She had a separate pot on hand for serving, so the remaining tea leaves wouldn\u2019t get used up too quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMan<\/em>, you\u2019re good, you know that? None of the chuckleheads working for me<\/em> could do any of this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m flattered, my lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru looked a little worried, but Shuna was unfazed, retaining her wits and not letting Guy bowl her over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cHey, you think I could have Mizeri and Raine train under you for a little while?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrain?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah. I want you to teach \u2019em how to bake cakes like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They cooked for us at the Walpurgis council, actually, and I thought it was a pretty nice spread\u2014but when it came to desserts, Shuna had a clear edge. She was neck and neck with Mr. Yoshida in the race to invent new taste-tempting offerings, so she was polishing up her skills by leaps and bounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I accepted this as normal, but Guy\u2019s reaction reminded me of how much of a luxury this was. Like, ever since I came to this world, I\u2019d been doing pretty much whatever I wanted\u2014something that only hit home with me now. Re-creating the things I used to love, striving to make all my favorite foods available over here\u2026 But no matter how much passion and skill you had, some recipes just couldn\u2019t be re-created without the right ingredients. Even a chef as outstanding as Mr. Yoshida couldn\u2019t have made this cake we\u2019re enjoying without the high-quality liqueurs we\u2019re producing in Tempest. Better remember to be grateful for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, what answer should I give Guy? I thought about just telling him to come over here and buy from us, but no need to be that stingy. So I decided to teach them only the recipes we\u2019ve developed ourselves, keeping Mr. Yoshida\u2019s inventions a guarded secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShuna, could you teach this recipe to the two women in the adjacent room later?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would be glad to!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ll need our quality ingredients to make it, keep in mind, but maybe we can cut you a deal on them later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We refined our sugar to keep any impurities from mixing in. We had a machine for that and everything\u2014my sweet tooth, combined with the technical skills of Kaijin and his team, was producing quality that didn\u2019t suffer at all from what I knew in Japan. We weren\u2019t cranking out enough to put on the market, but it allowed us to indulge, at least. Maybe we could add a couple sacks to our production quotas and pass them on to Guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re okay with that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I meant that. I wasn\u2019t giving away our tech, but if we had buyers for our product, I wasn\u2019t going to hoard it. Having Guy invite himself into our nation whenever he wanted might cause some grief, I feared\u2026 But aides like Mizeri knew how to activate and run transport gates, so I was sure we could just send our goods through there once we finished making them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2014and I had some other thoughts, too. If Guy found us useful, keep in mind, that all but guaranteed our security as a country. The deeper our ties with foreign nations, the more it connected to our own safety. Two countries needing each other meant that they couldn\u2019t rattle the saber too casually. A regional economic zone is as good as a strong military alliance in my book; that was my pet theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also didn\u2019t want any trouble with Guy, so the more cards in our hand, the better. This was, after all, the first time I had ever paid so much attention to a potential opponent. (Or maybe the second time after my initial encounter with Veldora?) Putting aside the question of whether I could beat him, fighting would lead to more than just needless hassle. There\u2019d be real harm done, and barring some unforeseen emergency, I intended to respect Guy\u2019s intentions. Maybe he\u2019d use and abuse me sometimes (like today), but I\u2019d just have to put up with it. I have my limits, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that I had \u201cenjoyed\u201d several conversations with Guy, I was starting to realize that he wasn\u2019t quite the blockheaded despot I thought he was. He was surprisingly rational and understanding, too, and his dealings with Diablo demonstrated that he wasn\u2019t afraid of getting his hands dirty. I\u2019d like to hope he saw us as useful enough that he wouldn\u2019t make any unreasonable demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So um, you mind going home soon?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But my tiny little wish was soon crushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHold on. Before I leave, there\u2019s one thing I need to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What? Is there something we haven\u2019t covered yet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy did Diablo evolve?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Da-dummm!!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>I thought he didn\u2019t notice, but I guess I was kidding myself. I hate<\/em> dealing with people as perceptive as he is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, um\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now what? What kind of response would Guy be willing to accept, even?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd not just Diablo, either, huh? It took a while to scope out what was happening over in your labyrinth, but how come you got all those guys down there at \u2018true demon lord\u2019 strength, hmm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy\u2019s lips were smiling, but his eyes sure as hell weren\u2019t. I guess cheap excuses weren\u2019t going to work\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. You could frame it as experimentation with your Belzebuth skill, and that should be acceptable.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n God is good!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right, let\u2019s do that. That\u2019s the Raphael I know. I can always count on the dude at times like these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you know, I\u2019ve been experimenting with my powers a little bit lately, to see if I can beef up our forces for the battle against the Empire. As I did, I discovered that one of my skills has a pretty interesting side effect I can take advantage of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh? What kind of side effect?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I dunno.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell me, Raphael!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. The effect of reverting souls into pure energy and granting them to those capable of awakening. Call it forced evolution, and that should be enough explanation for the subject Guy Crimson.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh. That is<\/em> what I did, isn\u2019t it? That whole evolution ritual harnessed the power of Belzebuth, not Raphael. This was the unvarnished truth, even; I wouldn\u2019t be lying or hiding anything from Guy. This might just be the way to go, actually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBelzebuth, you see, can take people\u2019s souls and convert them <\/a>back into energy. Then I can grant that \u2018soul energy\u2019 to other people, you see. If they\u2019re not qualified for it, it won\u2019t do anything at all, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh-huh. So if someone has the seed for it, they can get awakened that way? Wow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy seemed convinced. I suppose he could tell I wasn\u2019t lying to him anyway. Raphael saved my bacon once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, well, with wars in this world, individual strength is a lot more important than vast numbers, right? So it\u2019s a given that I\u2019ll want to enhance my team\u2019s individual skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, that makes perfect sense. By the way, I\u2019ve been thinking this for a while\u2026 But you\u2019re pretty abnormal, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? No I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I mean\u2026slimes don\u2019t usually talk<\/em>, you know? And I\u2019ve been letting that slide, but then you won over Veldora somehow; you built up this whole town\u2026 It\u2019s just not normal, by any stretch of the imagination. Are you a reincarnate, maybe? You are, aren\u2019tcha?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm? Oh, you didn\u2019t know? Yeah, I died in a different world from here, and then I got reborn as a slime with my mind intact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeriously?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeriously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We stared at each other. No, really, he didn\u2019t know<\/em>? I thought we had broken this down ages ago. I\u2019d been pretty public with this fact, and it was a famous story over in the Western Nations, too. I thought for sure that Guy would\u2019ve heard it somewhere or other. Maybe it\u2019s not always a good idea to assume the other party knows everything you think they do\u2014not that I misspoke or anything, but it was something to watch out for. Don\u2019t want to give out too much information just because I want to keep the conversation going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s really true?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, it certainly is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSir Rimuru never lies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why is he so doubtful about this? Now he\u2019s turning to Benimaru and Shuna for confirmation, the bastard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAhhh<\/em>-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Wowww! I always assumed you were a pretty screwy monster, but that\u2019s<\/em> the story behind you, huh? Simply <\/a>being reincarnated between worlds is a rarity in itself, but you<\/em> got reborn as a monster? Man, talk about a bad break.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy let out another belly laugh. I didn\u2019t see it as all that<\/em> funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut now it all makes sense. If you traveled between worlds in soul form and still managed to keep your mind intact, well, no wonder you\u2019ve got such a toughened heart core to ya. It explains why you\u2019re picky about retaining a human form, too\u2026and maybe why you evolved so insanely fast and got those ultimate skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So in short, I\u2019m a stubborn old ass, huh? Well, maybe. I like to think I\u2019m pretty thick-skinned, not to brag. Never give up, never lose heart, always think positive\u2014that\u2019s what I live by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s that convincing to you, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYep. You always struck me as a shady guy, but now I think I can really trust you, after all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s just rude, isn\u2019t it? But I\u2019ll forgive it. I can\u2019t beat him in battle anyway\u2026 And I certainly don\u2019t want him all suspicious and hostile around me. Again, the power of positive thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad we got that cleared up, and I think I\u2019ve asked you about everything I need to. So I imagine you\u2019ll be heading\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, can I get some more of this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCertainly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was about to push Guy back home when he interrupted me and brazenly demanded a second slice of cake. Shuna immediately sprang into action, and it\u2019d be weird if only he was eating, so I asked for another slice, too. Stress eating isn\u2019t a good habit to acquire, but I just wanted some sugar to perk me up. But Guy got in my way yet again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, Rimuru, let\u2019s go back to what I was asking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had a gut feeling that this was going to be painful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? Asking about what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou awakening your team members here. Because it sounded to me<\/em> like you could share some of your power with my servants, too, but what do you think? Sound possible, or what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dammit\u2026 This dude\u2019s just like me, isn\u2019t he? Incredibly shrewd, trying to take advantage of anything useful\u2026 Making me think the conversation is over, only to pull the \u201cjust one more thing\u201d killer blow. Not that I\u2019m this<\/em> blatant about it\u2026 Or maybe I am?<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>No point pondering that, though. Guy needs an answer, and for that\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. It is possible.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh. The guy answered me before I even thought of the question. That made me feel a little sad, somehow. I could almost feel it thinking I\u2019m getting sick of dealing with you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. There is no such intention.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Something about this exchange made me think it\u2019s incredibly angry at me. Better not prod it any further. Raphael\u2019s all I have to rely on, so if it gave up on me, I\u2019d be at the end of my rope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right. Now for a more serious question. If I built a soul corridor between myself and Guy\u2019s \u201cservants\u201d (whoever they are), would that still work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Affirmative. Forced intervention is now possible even if you do not share a common soul lineage with the monster in question. The target must not resist the connection, but as long as it is qualified to awaken, an infusion of energy is capable of inciting evolution.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Roger that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This just leaves one problem\u2014how many of my souls it\u2019d consume. I don\u2019t know how many people he wanted me to awaken, but if I don\u2019t have the goods, we\u2019re getting nowhere here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll be a problem, no. Can\u2019t be sure unless I try, but I\u2019m reasonably sure it\u2019ll be fine. But I don\u2019t have enough energy left to pass out to other people, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was my attempt at nimbly turning Guy down without angering him. I actually had just over one hundred thousand souls left, but Guy couldn\u2019t have any way of knowing that. Surely he\u2019d give up now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight. So as long as you have souls to provide, you can do it, then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUhhh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>He\u2019s not<\/em> giving up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause you know, I once gave Mizeri about ten thousand of my own souls. It didn\u2019t trigger anything at all, though. No sign of her awakening or anything. So I thought I was just wasting my time with that approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He can just pass on souls as is like that? These demons are pretty clever, aren\u2019t they? But that wouldn\u2019t cause an awakening?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. In order to incite an evolution, the requisite souls must be converted into the required form to be compatible with the target. Simply giving away souls is unlikely to have the desired effect. Furthermore, granting souls to other people is a highly inefficient use of energy, producing only about 10 percent of the anticipated value.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So in order to make a would-be demon lord take root, you needed to give it the right sun and water and stuff? And of course, knowing how to do that is different from actually pulling it off. So would it be better to wait for his servants to spontaneously evolve, then?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Negative. A monster named by a higher-level being has its very nature altered. Even if it has souls it acquired on its own, that is unlikely to cause an awakening.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So once they\u2019re named, that\u2019s the end of the evolution process. It\u2019s hard enough for someone to qualify for an awakening, but that<\/em> sounds like quite the unexpected pitfall to me. The vast majority of monsters never qualify at all; naming is a much more likely method of powering up, so maybe it\u2019s the same thing in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, being named changes the nature of a monster to the point that it\u2019s no longer able to extract the appropriate energy from the souls they acquire. Guy seems to be unaware of this, so I guess Raphael strikes again. Truly, it\u2019s the smartest teacher I ever had in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>Oops. I was sincere with that praise, but maybe Raphael took it as me making fun of it. But I had my answer, so let\u2019s just move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMizeri, huh? Did you try it with Raine or anyone else? And actually, you were the one who named them, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. Again, well spotted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, there\u2019s your problem right there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen they\u2019re named by a higher-level life-form, that changes their nature enough that it won\u2019t work, it looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Mmm. That sort of thing, huh? So it\u2019s a waste of time no matter how many souls I give them. But you\u2019ve got a way to adapt the soul energy so it\u2019ll work on the target?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had to take a crash course from Raphael to figure all this out, but Guy was picking up on it super rapidly. Everything he said was right on the money, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy approach ought to, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay. I wanna ask you a favor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here we go. Now I was really starting to understand Guy\u2019s personality. When he starts to use that wheedling voice of his, he must think there\u2019s no way I\u2019ll say no. I\u2019d really like to slap a denial on him, but I\u2019d be too afraid to try it. I value my life too much for that these days, so I\u2019ll just play along for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUm, just so you know, all the souls in the world won\u2019t evolve someone if they don\u2019t qualify for the right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo problem there. Both of them meet the requirements just fine. You think you can awaken them for me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The way Guy was talking, his two maids were total garbage, useless in their current states. His evaluation standards are so weird. Based on what I heard, Mizeri and Raine are Primals on the same level as Testarossa and her gang. But he\u2019s just slamming them like this instead? And considering one of my own secretaries made a sport out of egging Guy on, I was getting more and more nervous by the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah, well. Now it boils down to whether I have the souls I need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, so it\u2019s only Mizeri and Raine you\u2019d like to have awakened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cYeah. How many souls is that gonna take?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a self-awakening, it was ten thousand; for a servant of mine in my soul lineage, it was a cool one hundred thousand, ten times as much. If I was working with unrelated third parties this time, I\u2019m sure it\u2019d be even more inefficient. So as for the number\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. Five hundred thousand souls.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Five hundred thousand? So a quarter million each?! Twenty-five times more than usual\u2014and over twice as many as a \u201csoul lineage\u201d job\u2026 It seemed like a ton, but if that\u2019s Raphael\u2019s quote, it has to be true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think five hundred thousand would be enough for the two of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? That\u2019s all? Well, shoot, I got enough in me right now, then. I won\u2019t even have to kill any more humans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has<\/em> them? And like, what was he gonna do if he didn\u2019t?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you do? That\u2019s, um, good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A dry chuckle was about all I could let out. I might\u2019ve been begging Guy to stop right now if the numbers didn\u2019t work out. I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t have to, but considering all the casualties lately, I kinda had mixed feelings about this. The difference in how we value souls\u2014and all that. I secretly prayed we didn\u2019t have any more conflicts of interest going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Benimaru and Shuna listened in on all this, worried looks on their faces. I decided there was no reason to hide my conversation with Guy from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, if you could grab our guests for me, then\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had Shion and Diablo join us as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy was in an elated mood as he enjoyed his cake. Slice number three. Glad he likes it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as he handed me his half-million souls, he started acting like his work was done here. I already confirmed with Raphael <\/a>that everything was set to go, but was it petty of me to be less than overjoyed about all this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pondered this a little as Shuna brought the two maids back in for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou amaze me again, Sir Rimuru. That cake was excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, and we\u2019re thrilled that you\u2019re willing to share the recipe so freely with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mizeri was gushing; Raine was meekly appreciative. They must\u2019ve gotten the message, and they were behaving perfectly kindly around Shuna. If this<\/em> was enough to satisfy them, I really wished we didn\u2019t have to play these dumb world-war games. The world was so full of surprises to explore! And besides, these two seemed like perfect maids to me. They didn\u2019t have the world-destroying sense of taste that Shion did, and I was sure they\u2019d hone their skills in no time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before that, though, I had an evolution ritual to perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am glad to hear that\u2026 And if we can continue to work in tandem, nothing would make me happier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cooperation is so key, in my opinion. I\u2019d like them to understand that cooperation isn\u2019t a one-way street, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRimuru\u2019s about to give both of you more power, girls. You need to be more thankful to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So should you, man.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Swallowing the thought before I said it out loud, I smiled at the two girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, a word of caution about this. Once I complete the evolution, you might suddenly get extremely sleepy. This is called the Harvest Festival, and it\u2019s perfectly normal, but you might be too catatonic to travel much for up to a few days. In the meantime, you can feel free to stay with us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy and his entourage had traveled via Mizeri\u2019s transport gate to a spot just outside the labyrinth. I then obtained Ramiris\u2019s permission to let them inside, but once the evolution was complete, I didn\u2019t think either of them were gonna be on their feet for a while. I doubted Guy was the type of boss who was thoughtful enough to bring them back home with him, so I intended to set them up with some lodging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And besides\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. So perhaps you two could send Guy and Velzard back home while you\u2019re still awake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was my aim. Our negotiations were over, and I really wished Guy would leave already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? Ahhh, I don\u2019t wanna impugn on you that<\/em> much. We\u2019ll take the two of them back with us, so just go ahead and start infusing, could you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wha?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy\u2019s unexpected reply almost made me audibly yelp. And not just me\u2014Mizeri and Raine themselves looked just as astonished. Their reaction told me what I already assumed: Guy actually lifting a finger to do something for them was unprecedented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly, he had an agenda of some kind. An agenda that, quite frankly, I found incredibly annoying. I didn\u2019t want Guy to see my power in action; I wanted him the hell out of here. Then it occurred to me. It always struck me that Guy and I had a lot of similarities, but maybe we were even more identical than I thought. I mean, if I were him, of course<\/em> I\u2019d want to observe what went on and see if I could copy it. Even if I couldn\u2019t, I still wanted as much info as I could get, so I could counteract it if need be. Based on that, it was very like Guy was thinking the same thing\u2014and in that case, I was all the more motivated not to reveal my hand to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or has he already spotted me out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. There is not a problem. As instructed, only Belzebuth will be brought to the forefront, so the rest will be kept fully hidden.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sweet. Just leave it to Raphael, and I could even pull the wool over Guy\u2019s eyes. Not that I can let my guard down yet. I just didn\u2019t want him learning any more about me, you know?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no, there\u2019s no need to be shy! We\u2019ve got tons of extra rooms, so you just get going on your way, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wasn\u2019t gonna negotiate. Guy was absolutely trying to stick around so he could observe my powers. I wasn\u2019t about to expose my <\/a>hand for no good reason. I\u2019ve got to do whatever it takes to get Guy out of this place\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We exchanged polite smiles, even as intense psychological warfare erupted below the surface. Just as it did, the door to the room was almost blown off its hinges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRimuru! I was looking for you! The surveillance feed\u2019s gone silent over in the Control Center. I want you to restore it for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah! I\u2019m pitchin\u2019 in to help monitor the world, too, y\u2019know!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Veldora and Ramiris certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. But we were in the middle of a very important conversation, so I wished they\u2019d pick up on that a bit. Besides, the Control Center\u2019s meant for waging wars, all right? It\u2019s not your personal playroom. And yes, we are<\/em> still at war, but I think you guys are just using that screen to search for neat new spots to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026I had a lot I wanted to say, but I had no right to complain. It was all my doing, besides. \u201cOnce the war\u2019s over<\/em>,\u201d I blurted out the other day, \u201cwhy don\u2019t we go out and have some fun?<\/em>\u201d They had been arguing over where to go ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019ve never traveled much around the world, despite how ponderously long they\u2019ve lived, and I guess they caught the travel bug thanks to me. That\u2019s why they made a routine out of using my Eye of God to bump around the world and take in the scenery when they had free time. This surveillance magic never used much energy, so we could keep it constantly active\u2014and what\u2019s more, changing the viewpoint was something anyone could do without much training. The Eye couldn\u2019t cover every spot in the world, but it still had a wide range. Abuse it too much, though, and the magic effect would temporarily wear off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll head down there later, okay? Just sit tight and wait a second.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guess I\u2019ll have to lecture them later about keeping quiet when I\u2019m entertaining guests. As their guardian, that\u2019s my job. I mean, I wanted to do some travel research, too\u2014or I mean, it was important that I gave them a good education about the world. But anyway, I was busy negotiating with Guy, so I tried to kick them out. However:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, hello there, Guy. Got some business with Rimuru, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>Ramiris noticed Guy in the room. Veldora\u2019s eyes were elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLooks like you\u2019re having fun, Veldora.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGahhh?! Wha-wha\u2014?! Why are you here, my sister\u2026?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHere I thought you\u2019ve matured a bit, but you\u2019re as boisterous as ever, aren\u2019t you? Great job taking human form, though. Looking pretty good for someone who just broke out of their seal, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2026 I\u2019m glad you are well\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fun was apparently over for Veldora. Now he was stiff as a board. Velzard was being perfectly nice to him, but for my friend, it must\u2019ve looked different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I\u2019d love to spend some time talking with you. It\u2019s been so long!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI, er\u2026 Well, I\u2019m sure you\u2019re a busy person, my sister, and I have work of my own to attend to. I\u2019m afraid I do not have much free time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, no need to worry about that. I think Guy and Sir Rimuru have a lot to talk about still, so why don\u2019t we have a nice, extended<\/em> chat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Velzard\u2019s emphasis was clearly on the word extended<\/em>. She completely ignored Veldora\u2019s claim of work obligations, and now he was looking to me for assistance. I gave him a brisk nod back. Good luck, man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCould we borrow a nearby room, Sir Rimuru?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She flashed me a beautiful smile, and how I was going to say no to that? I can\u2019t!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve got a lot of catching up to do, so take your time!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had no choice. Farewell, Veldora. We\u2019ll never forget your gallantry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked pretty bent out of shape over not getting any help from me. Then, with a quick hand movement, he grabbed hold of Ramiris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWh-whoa, Master! This isn\u2019t any of my business!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease! Don\u2019t leave me alone!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pathetic display convinced me. Veldora must be ill at ease around his sister Velzard. Or maybe more terrified of her\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>In my previous life, I had a friend who didn\u2019t like his big sister too much, either. \u201cShe\u2019s such a dictator,<\/em>\u201d he\u2019d complain to me, eyes glowing with enlightenment\u2014and I guess that applies to True Dragons, too. (I also had friends who\u2019d whine at each other about how annoying their little sisters were, but I only had one elder brother, so I couldn\u2019t join in. I\u2019m sure it was the same kinda deal with both sister types, and Veldora was starting to remind me of them.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then something occurred to me. A while back, Veldora and I were arguing over where we should go for a trip, and he was dead set against traveling north, like I suggested. He said it was too cold for him and so forth, but that seemed unnatural to me. There couldn\u2019t be any way the cold would affect him. Looking back, though, maybe he knew Velzard was there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I watched Veldora, begging not to go as he held the door in a death grip, I couldn\u2019t help but feel sorry for him. Maybe I had it all wrong. I fully intended to abandon him since I didn\u2019t want to get burned, but let\u2019s lend him a bit of a hand. If it didn\u2019t work out, I thought, I\u2019d just relent and that\u2019d be that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, Guy\u2026 You live north of Englesia, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMm? Ah yes, you call it the Tundral Waste down here. Pretty cold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d Velzard said, standing up and turning to me as she kept a firm grasp on Veldora\u2019s shoulders. \u201cI don\u2019t suppress my magical force up there, so no life can survive in the region. Guy doesn\u2019t like the weak, so I did that to keep everyone else from blundering near him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good, good. Let\u2019s keep it going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo if I had to guess, Velzard, your power involves cold and ice?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Not exactly, no. But in terms of the effects it produces, I can see if people think so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perfect. No doubt about it, then. It\u2019s funny to think that Veldora, as boundlessly confident and fearless as he was, still had a weakness like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have trouble dealing with Velzard, don\u2019t you, Veldora?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cD-do not say such ridiculous things! There is nothing I have trouble dealing with!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a time to act like a tough guy. It\u2019s only causing you more damage, you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cRight? Of course not. After all, I took care of you for a long time, didn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was not the slightest cloudiness to Velzard\u2019s warm smile. Not once did she ever suspect her brother might dislike her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen Veldora was just born, you know, whenever he went on a rampage, I promptly destroyed and rehabilitated him. Then, when he did it again after being reborn, I\u2019d stop him, calm him down, maybe give him a gentle lecture or two. He had a few developmental problems\u2014he couldn\u2019t turn human, that kind of thing\u2014so he\u2019d always cause far too much damage. If I didn\u2019t clean up after him, he would have grown even more out of control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Velzard told me about all the things she did in the past, framing them as sisterly acts of kindness. I dare anyone to listen to it all without bursting into tears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVeldora\u2026 You\u2019ve been through so much\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou see that, Rimuru? Do you see<\/em> that?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n No wonder he preferred being away from her. What she did was devious\u2014and the worst part was that she meant no malice at all. If we didn\u2019t unravel this misunderstanding or assumption on Velzard\u2019s part, Veldora might spend his entire life fearing her. But Veldora wasn\u2019t helping his case much, either\u2014that tough act made it impossible for him to defy her. He needs to drop that false courage, or he\u2019ll never get along with people\u2026or True Dragons, I guess. Whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVelzard, I don\u2019t mean to meddle too much, but I feel that Veldora might have a few hang-ups when it comes to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh? Why is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, long story short, you\u2019re overdoing it. Instead of just forcibly lecturing him without listening to his side of the story, if you gave him more guidance about what\u2019s right and wrong, he\u2019ll learn it more naturally that way. Veldora\u2019s capable of listening to reason, after all. So instead of resorting to violence, can you just tell him how you really feel instead? If you want, we can even put you up here for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Velzard considered this for a few moments, then sighed and nodded. Whew. Glad she accepted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cR-Rimuru\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAw, isn\u2019t that great, Master? Can you let go of me now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well. Looking back, I\u2019m not sure I ever really considered Veldora\u2019s thoughts. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to have a nice, long talk?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So she was gonna talk his ear off regardless. Uh-huh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll\u2026 All right. Go easy on me, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Veldora regained his composure, too, in a resigned sort of way. Hopefully this can help alleviate the rift a little bit. He exited the room (voluntarily this time), but he was still clutching Ramiris in his hand. I\u2019ll pretend I didn\u2019t see that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cH-hey! Wait! This is none of my business!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think I maybe heard that plea from somewhere, but it disappeared once the door shut. I must\u2019ve been hearing things. Time to focus on Guy again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Veldora\u2019s exit made the room suddenly feel very quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight,\u201d Guy muttered. I nervously swallowed as I anticipated his next words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, it sounds like Velzard will be staying here for a bit, so I think I\u2019ll stay overnight as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSure. I\u2019ll have a room ready for the three of them, so don\u2019t worry about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? The three of who?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, aren\u2019t you leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I sure wish he was. But I\u2019d be left disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you, stupid? We\u2019re pals, aren\u2019t we? So let\u2019s hang out today. Get these two evolved for me already.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grrr. He certainly was a persuasive speaker, but I hated letting him have his way like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no, I\u2019ll be glad to give you the royal treatment when things are less urgent, so for today\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDidn\u2019t you say a moment ago that you have lots of extra rooms? I don\u2019t need the \u2018royal treatment\u2019 today, so just set me up with <\/a>whatever\u2019s free right now. I wanted to try that \u2018tempura\u2019 thing you were talking about earlier, so you mind hooking me up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welp, I lost. After all this, I had no possible pretense for saying no. It meant revealing what I considered to be one of my most powerful moves, but it beat refusing and stoking his anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026All right. I\u2019ll get you the best room we have out of what\u2019s available\u2026 And I\u2019ll arrange for a tempura dinner tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I nodded briefly at Shuna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAbsolutely. I will start preparing at once.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a sweet smile and a perfectly polite bow, she left. Haruna silently took her place, standing by in one corner of the room. Her sheer unobtrusiveness demonstrated how skilled she was as a maid. Mizeri and Raine looked impressed as well, so I had to assume she was top-notch by international standards, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy, meanwhile, looked extremely satisfied with himself over beating me. It sucked, but I\u2019d just have to admit defeat for now\u2014but the moment I had that thought, the previously silent Diablo finally opened his mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKeh-heh-heh-heh-heh\u2026 I see. You\u2019ll be staying over tonight, Guy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm? Yeah, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh-ha. Then you\u2019ll have plenty of free time on your hands?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat are you\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no, I just thought this would be a lovely opportunity for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAn opportunity? For what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI needed to finish the story I was telling you earlier, you know. And you bragged about your ultimate ability to me a long time ago, didn\u2019t you? Well, I wanted to ask you about that in more detail today, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whoaaa! Nice one, Diablo. Now the tables were turned\u2014Guy was on the ropes! I can\u2019t let this chance pass me by!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, in that<\/em> case, Diablo, why don\u2019t you take Guy here over to the inner chamber? You guys can chat your heads off the whole rest of the day!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you very much, Sir Rimuru. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>As soon as he said it, Diablo put his hand around Guy\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? Ah! Wait!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, I cannot wait to sit down with you. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy was kind of like a house of cards if you poked him the right way, huh? All it took was Diablo\u2019s quiet insistence to ferry him right out of the room. He can be so unexpectedly useful sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that Guy was gone, I could finally use my powers at peace. I didn\u2019t know when they\u2019d come back, so let\u2019s get this ritual over with fast. I wasted no time pouring my souls into Mizeri and Raine, inciting the evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Report. The prescribed amount of one hundred thousand souls has been reached. The subject Mizeri\u2019s evolution has begun.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Um? That\u2019s odd. Guy gave me half a million souls\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving on to the incitement of the subject Raine\u2019s evolution\u2026 Successful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was down only two hundred thousand souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n So as long as they\u2019re qualified to evolve, they can do it even if we\u2019re not linked soul to soul?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026Hey, wait a minute! That\u2019s not even the issue. You got three hundred thousand souls you didn\u2019t use here! Don\u2019t tell me\u2026?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Report. I have mastered the knack behind this, so the necessary number turned out lower than expected.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, you got the knack down, huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026Wait, what? No! That\u2019s no excuse! I received a zillion more souls than that! He\u2019s never gonna buy that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. The subjects Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera were included in the required amount.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>What the hell\u2019re you doing to me?! Raphael\u2019s gone crazy on me! How fearless can you even get? Are you seriously trying to get one up on the demon lord Guy Crimson?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026Wait. Dude. If he finds out, I\u2019m<\/em> the one who\u2019s gonna pay for it, man!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understood. It is not a problem.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n No, it is. It\u2019s a lot<\/em> of problems. Seriously, I\u2019m kind of afraid of you right now. Acting all fearless like this is so<\/em> frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Negative. This is simply the result of my information particle\u2013handling skills performing better than expected. Any surplus can be considered extra remuneration.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You think so, huh? Because I think you\u2019re reeeeeally<\/em> stretching it, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seriously, this is scaring me more than trying to run a scam against the yakuza. If Guy ever found out, he could disassemble me into a pile of broken atoms, and I\u2019d have no reason to complain. I don\u2019t sweat, so I wasn\u2019t betraying any of my agitation on my face, but inside me I had cold sweat falling like a rainstorm. For the first time in a while, I\u2019m actually glad I\u2019m a slime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So we partied it up that night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guy looked a little miffed with me, but he never did complain. In fact, he thanked me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot I could say about today\u2019s events, but I\u2019m tired out for now. It looks like the evolution took place without a hitch, and for that, I thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He really did<\/em> look exhausted. I wonder why? Diablo, meanwhile, was a stark contrast in how energetic he was. Weird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, no, you\u2019re quite welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not getting involved was the smart bet here. I pretended not to notice anything as I left that sleeping dog to himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>The food seemed to be to his liking, and the hot spring bath gave him what looked like a sorely needed recharge. Velzard was in a good mood after chatting with Veldora, and for an unplanned social evening like this, I thought we did pretty darn well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ll do our best to entertain you then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do look forward to that. We live in a very cold place, so that hot spring was so soothing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad you liked it, too. We can\u2019t wait to have you back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow polite of you! I\u2019d love to see Veldora again before long, so we\u2019ll be sure to take a few days next time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of Veldora, he wasn\u2019t currently with us. That\u2019s because he was prone on his bed, thoroughly battered and unable to move after going a couple rounds with Velzard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHee-hee-hee\u2026 Kwah-ha-ha-ha! Tell him I went a bit easy on him this time, but don\u2019t expect any mercy when I return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou sure you want me to tell him that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She seemed to be apologizing in an ever-so-wispy voice, but I\u2019m a kind slime, so I pretended not to hear. Hey, I\u2019m sure Velzard didn\u2019t mean<\/em> to kick his ass, and I\u2019m sure Veldora will be good as new in a few days. Really, I hadn\u2019t seen him take any wounds since that whole Chronoa incident, so it was a helpful reminder of just how strong True Dragons really were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Veldora had another big sister over in the Empire. We have to figure out how to deal with her, so I think I\u2019ll have Raphael give me the rundown on how True Dragons fight each other later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n After giving me some valuable information to work with, Guy and his crew finally left. I\u2019ll be using that info as a reference as I resume our deliberations on the next course of action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I resolved to do this, I saw someone jogging up to me in a tizzy. It was Mj\u00f6llmile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cAh, Sir Rimuru! I was wondering where you were. I\u2019ve been looking all over!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy the urgency?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ll know when you hear this: Big Mama\u2019s here, and she wants to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBig Mama?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I promptly rushed over to a certain inn in a prime spot of town. Big Mama always stayed there on her visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was a nickname, of course, one shared only between Mollie and me. We gave it to her because bandying her real name around was bound to cause us trouble. It was Elmesia El-Ru Thalion, the Heavenly Emperor of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the Three Pranksters\u2014the name we three gave ourselves\u2014she was known as El. I was Rim, Mollie was Gar, and she was El. She led the group, I was second-in-command, and Gar was our minion henchman. We had a lot of fun with this, you could say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If El wanted to see me this urgently, I had to drop everything for her. I\u2019m pretty<\/em> sure she\u2019s aware we\u2019re fighting a war right now, though\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe told El that we\u2019re at war, didn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, of course. In fact, she told me herself that she\u2019d save her next visit for when things settled down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mollie here has actually known Elmesia longer than I have, sitting in for me when I\u2019m busy and negotiating over this and that\u2014both in public and private.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPublic\u201d here meant official diplomatic relations with Thalion, and I was pretty much hands-off with that stuff, leaving it wholly to Mollie and Rigurd\u2019s circle. They oversaw construction progress, established trade regulations, set up tariffs and other logistical matters, discussed security for merchants and visitors from both our nations\u2026 Anything and everything had to be looked over with a fine-tooth comb until they were mutually acceptable to us all. It was a daunting task, but they did their best at it without complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPrivate,\u201d meanwhile, was more about the fun debauchery we got up to as the Three Pranksters. \u201cDebauchery\u201d might sound a little shady, and indeed, our little side hustles weren\u2019t the kind of things your mother would approve of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>What were they, exactly? Well, basically we were attempting to take full control of our newborn (and gigantic) economic trade zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, the three of us were simply drinking buddies. We were discussing business matters at the bar before long, however, and the next thing I knew, this had ballooned into sensitive matters concerning the management of our nations. It\u2019s on me for having such a big mouth, but Mollie\u2019s equally as guilty for not stopping me. Besides, it\u2019s not like us two were the only ones blabbering away; Elmesia leaked out a lot of secrets to us as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s little wonder we all let our guard down. All three of us were blaming it on the alcohol, essentially. Benders can be real scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This relationship was, of course, totally confidential\u2014just a secret between the three of us. It\u2019d have to be, because if word got out about these talks, we\u2019d be subjected to a whole lot of vitriol. I\u2019m sure my staff would be silently applying pressure on me to stop, and Mollie would probably develop an ulcer from all the criticism. I bet even Elmesia would become the target of some sarcastic remarks from Erald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So we were a tight-knit secret society, the Three Pranksters, and by this point, our friendship had transcended our positions in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This arrangement began in earnest, if I recall, around when we won the battle against the Rossos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right when that clan was on the decline, the Western Nations\u2019 criminal underground circles were all but decimated. Nobody was providing any cohesion, and things were starting to break down into factional warfare. I wasn\u2019t about to abide by this, so I asked Testarossa to help keep the peace over there; that prevented things from getting out of hand, but we couldn\u2019t keep things as is for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only when the local police\u2014or military, really\u2014couldn\u2019t handle matters did we provide some secret assistance to them. That, however, brought up the issue of how to deal with the criminals we <\/a>caught. The reason local militias couldn\u2019t handle these cases was because of the inevitable reprisals they would trigger. In some cases, local or regional government leaders were the ones committing the crimes, and the authorities would be hesitant to act in situations like that. They couldn\u2019t let crimes go unchecked, of course, but if they pursued them too much, it could potentially lead to insurrection, even. In a lot of cases, the local state had no choice but to keep silent and not intervene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was all pretty troubling, so one night I was whining about it to Elmesia during one of her stops at our inn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was rather hoping we could discuss something more fun than that,\u201d she said at first, clearly reluctant\u2026 But as she listened on, she gradually opened up to me, leaning forward and asking for more details. Essentially, the way I painted things, it could be beneficial to not just me, but her, too. In other words, I was telling another what-if fairy tale to hold her interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crime and the economy are inexorably linked. If the gap between rich and poor widens, that leads to resentment and could even affect national order. It\u2019s why organized crime grows so huge; they serve as a receptacle for the poor, and after a certain point, they could wreck the entire power balance of the nation. Mollie, it should be said, was originally one of those underworld bosses, and I suppose his familiarity with matters let him grasp my point immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What poor people need is a place to belong. We had to provide jobs available to anyone so they won\u2019t turn to crime, no matter how far they\u2019ve fallen. Oftentimes, this would be where the military comes in\u2014they\u2019ve got tons of positions to fill, and they\u2019re always looking for people to fill them. But if the country itself is poor, sometimes not even that functions properly. So we wanted to provide a little under-the-table help to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFirst off, we\u2019ll create our own crime outfit. We\u2019ve already laid the groundwork for this by absorbing all the groups we\u2019ve crushed in each nation\u2026 And I\u2019m thinking about taking out all the ones we\u2019ve let survive for now, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It might\u2019ve been a bunch of drunken nonsense, but it did succeed in grabbing Elmesia\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cI see\u2026 No, there\u2019s no group in the Western Nations that can complete with Cerberus. And I think a lot of people would swear their loyalties to this new group as long as they\u2019re guaranteed food, clothing, and shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elmesia hadn\u2019t been too enthusiastic so far. But what I said next proved to be the deciding factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight? So we could take care of the poor that way. Next we\u2019ll tackle the wealthy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow that Granville is dead, the Rossos are going to fall\u2014and fall fast. They might still have a lot of power, but you know they\u2019re going to do nothing but weaken over time. So I\u2019m trying to move another project along to serve as a replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA project? Let me hear more about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, you know it. The idea you mentioned before, about having Blumund function as a concentrated industrial hub. Sir Fuze is making preparations for me along those lines, and he\u2019s already secured the necessary personnel, I understand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mj\u00f6llmile and I had already consulted with each other on this grand concept. It\u2019s important that we coordinate our interests with our neighboring countries, after all, if we want to spread friendship and prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe could combine the Dwarven Kingdom\u2019s industry, Farminus\u2019s agricultural output, and Thalion\u2019s industry as well. We\u2019ll need to fine-tune things so we\u2019re not competing against each other, but we could have all this industry flow right into Blumund\u2014and then they could serve as a window into all that Western Nations territory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh yes, Erald did<\/em> report to me about that. So you were actually planning to go through with it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. Why not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right. But, Rim, how will you profit from it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProfit\u2019s secondary here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust kidding! But that\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to do. Taking control of core technology, releasing it to the world, you know. And <\/a>I\u2019m thinking we could build a really big educational institution and attract talented students from all over the world. Establish ourselves as a major tourist destination, then skim off the top behind the scenes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWah-ha-ha-ha-ha! And don\u2019t forget about your patents concept! This wonderful system where money keeps flowing in without having to do any work! I understand it well enough, but it could take time to get other people to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Mmm, I see. So your idea is to create new products that require this core technology, then secure the intellectual property rights?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re so quick on the uptake, El! I\u2019m glad for that. But don\u2019t go copying the idea off me, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFirst come, first served, is it? But no, no\u2014I won\u2019t copy it, but let me in on some of the action instead!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Pitch in for us, El, and this project is already as good as done!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Gar, you give me far too much credit! You\u2019re right, of course, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so we laughed into our beer mugs all night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next day, we gave each other bleary looks, everyone wondering if we said too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey, so about yesterday\u2019s chat\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, I recall it. You said some things you probably shouldn\u2019t have, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf\u2014if you could find it in you to keep it a secret\u2026 We can\u2019t afford to have the project shudder to a halt at this point\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, stop worrying, Gar. Maybe the drinks were talking for me, but I\u2019m a woman who keeps her promises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so through a failed attempt at fraternization through getting blasted, we were now all on the same wavelength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We pushed on with plans at a steady clip from that point forward. When you had the leaders of two superpowers on the same page, things went fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our inroads into the Western Nations criminal underground <\/a>were progressing at a pace that would\u2019ve easily surprised the outside observer. In just a few months, we had finished unifying all the region\u2019s crime groups. Thus, a brand-new secret society was born, one we called REG\u2014the Three Wise Drunks. The group\u2019s members had no idea about the origins of that name, but that was certainly not our problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s more important is how the project\u2019s moving along. The poor people facing oppression in their local regions were quickly taken in by the mysterious \u201cREG\u201d outfit, and after a month or two of examination, the right people were selected for the right jobs. Any outstanding talents, we decided, would be invited to my nation for further study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the little details behind this were being overseen by Glenda Attley, one of the former Three Battlesages who was still serving under Soei. She said she\u2019d gladly take any job, dirty or not, and now she was acting every bit like a mob boss. Working beneath her were Girard, ex-leader of the Sons of the Veldt mercenary group, and Ayn, the elementalist who once worked for him. These were two pretty notorious names around the Western Nations, with the type of leadership skills that naturally attracted the seedier elements of the local population. This underworld fame served them well as they carried out Glenda\u2019s orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people seemed to assume this trio was the Three Wise Drunks being referred to. We really were<\/em> just three drunken idiots, but people were misinterpreting it as being \u201cdrunk on dreams\u201d or other fancy stuff like that, so I\u2019d keep the truth to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So that\u2019s what we had cooking underground. Now let\u2019s examine our activities as public figures. For this effort, we decided it was better to create two organizations that would compete against each other, instead of a single monolith that\u2019d be too vulnerable to corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first one is a new company founded by Mollie, mostly comprised of educated staff from Blumund and engaging in commercial business in tandem with the Council. This we named the Four Nations Trade Alliance, chaired by a representative from Tempest with a board of executives from Blumund, Farminus, and Dwargon <\/a>as well. Mollie was installed as CEO, ensuring I\u2019d always have a hand in its affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second group was a coalition of Western Nations trade groups that Elmesia would work behind the scenes to form. Doran, monarch of the kingdom that bears his name, would be lent money to establish the firm under his banner, which would allow it to absorb the surviving members of the Rosso family. Essentially, we were setting up a playing field for everyone who\u2019s particularly hostile to us, but it attracted a lot more people than expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The firm was named the Western General Trade Company, with one of Doran\u2019s sons serving as president\u2014Prince Figaro Ros Doran, a descendant of the Rossos, who possessed all the intelligence and talent that name conferred. The prince and his father were the only people who knew about Elmesia\u2019s involvement; they agreed to play along in exchange for her protection. \u201cIn the Rosso family,\u201d Doran reportedly said upon hearing of the plan, \u201cyou need a flexible mind to survive. If the world\u2019s most powerful demon lord and someone with as much influence on the world as the Heavenly Emperor are forming a team, deciding not to take part would surely spell our doom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re gonna credit the Rossos for anything, praise them for how seriously they took their contracts. As long as we both fulfilled our side of the contract, we could trust this relationship to stay unchanged for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also worth adding that between Elmesia\u2019s shares and mine, we controlled 61 percent of the Western General Trade Company. Elmesia was the top shareholder, so if Figaro decided to betray us, the firm would collapse right then and there. \u201cNot that someone as talented as him would do something that stupid,\u201d Elmesia told me, and I was apt to agree with her. So Figaro was accepted as our trusted president for the time being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, we had two different companies kicking off at the same time. These two firms were ostensibly competitors in the same field, conducting price wars and scrambling to secure exclusive distributors. But this was all legal, healthy competition, with no use of force involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>Some of the staff occasionally took the cowardly approach and tried tapping organized crime to lend them a hand, although for some reason<\/em>, it always backfired on them. The REG group informed me of some pretty wild stories related to this. I deliberately didn\u2019t try to stop any would-be criminals, but I hoped it was clear to people that if they went too far, they\u2019d be the ones to pay for it. It was a shame that some ne\u2019er-do-wells would resort to extreme measures, but at least both companies were bursting with motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They were also growing much faster than expected. In just a few months, they had developed into stable organizations, with positions established in a multitude of specific fields and a firm hierarchy in place. Right now, when we were under imperial attack, I heard they were enjoying quite a bit of war-based demand for their goods. I wondered if this was a bit too<\/em> opportunistic of them, but since I was taking in their profits as a shareholder, I decided to call it a necessary evil and leave it at that. It wouldn\u2019t do to regulate everything<\/em>, after all, and that goes double when it\u2019s my own interests at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so in relatively short time, we were on our way to seizing the local trade community for ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Elmesia had stopped by here without advance notice, there must\u2019ve been some kind of emergency. Maybe Prince Figaro skipped town on us after all? We had countermeasures in place for that scenario, but it\u2019d mean I\u2019d have to give up some of my shares, so it\u2019d make sense if Elmesia wanted to come over to discuss that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n At the inn, I was taken to a detached townhome Elmesia was occupying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks for waiting for me. How\u2019s it going, El?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n No point speculating any further. Time to ask what she wanted to talk about. She did<\/em> look pretty miffed about something, not even trying to hide her depression as she stared right at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cOh, um, something upsetting you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Upsetting\u2019 would be the kindest<\/em> way of putting it! Do you have any idea what you have done?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Um, what? Oh, man, she sounds legit pissed. And this didn\u2019t seem to be any \u201cWise Drunk\u201d business after all\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSit down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh, sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not wanting to anger the sharp-eyed Elmesia any further, I meekly kneeled down on the tatami-mat floor. Mollie was doing the same next to me, and this seating position was clearly making his legs cramp up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRim, is it true that you\u2019ve been evolving some of your people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n H-how does she know that<\/em>?! I gave Mollie a quick side glance; he shook his head back to indicate he didn\u2019t know, either. So where did the leak come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy boy Gazel gave me an urgent message. He said he wasn\u2019t sure whether to tell me but decided to in the end. Honest of him, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To Elmesia, even a sly old fox like Gazel was still her \u201cboy.\u201d But that\u2019s what happened? I wasn\u2019t really hiding what I did, so I shouldn\u2019t be that shocked, but the sheer speed was pretty unexpected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, the Eastern Empire\u2019s a lot more dangerous than I thought, so I wanted to get ourselves powered up as best I could. I didn\u2019t think hiding it was a good idea, so I invited Jaine to witness it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh\u2026 So it\u2019s true\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She stood up, turned her back to me, and looked out a window. There was something sad\u2014sorrowful, in a way\u2014about the sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Why are you talking like it\u2019s somebody else\u2019s<\/em> business?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then she whacked me on the head with the folding fan she took out from her pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cN-no, I didn\u2019t mean it like that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was just trying to lighten the mood here a little. Sheesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you even want to do<\/em> with an army that powerful?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? It\u2019s not that I wanna do<\/em> anything, really. I\u2019m trying to build a country that\u2019s fun to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cAnd Gazel tells me you have more Primals serving you than just Diablo now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah. Sorry, I thought I told you. I wasn\u2019t aware of it myself until a little while ago. You know Testarossa, don\u2019t you, El? I always thought she was really talented, but it turns out she\u2019s a Primal, too, I guess. So there\u2019s her and two more, Carrera and Ultima, and they\u2019re serving as heads of our supreme court and chief prosecutor, respectively.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I finished explaining matters, Elmesia began to visibly shake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd that<\/em> is the truth as well?\u201d She groaned. Then she sat down in front of me, gazing straight into my eyes as she asked me directly, \u201cAre you trying to destroy the world?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh? No way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause from my<\/em> viewpoint, that\u2019s the only thing this could be!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now she was shouting. I hurriedly began making excuses, Mollie joining my side, as we verbally sparred for the next half hour or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo you\u2019re telling me that Guy and Ludora are playing a game, using their respective pieces to decide on a winner?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight, exactly!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs that true, Gar?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI, um, I can\u2019t say I am that well-informed on the situation, either\u2026 But really, I\u2019m not entirely certain this is something I should be listening in on, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, no, it\u2019s not, but too late for that, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I may, I\u2019m not entirely sure \u2018too late for that\u2019 is much comfort for me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah. Guess I totally dragged him into this, didn\u2019t I? Sorry about that. But given the relationship we have, I\u2019m sure Mollie will forgive me soon enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHaaah\u2026<\/em> I think I understand now. If Guy was cajoling you, you were certainly in no position to turn him down, were you\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes! Precisely! Guy was threatening me\u2014let\u2019s phrase it like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndeed. It\u2019s painful for me<\/em> to accept as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was beginning to take on Mollie\u2019s manner of speech, but either way, we were finally starting to appease her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>Elmesia sighed again; either her anger was gone or she was scrambling to regain her composure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo what are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going to resign yourself to being a pawn in Guy\u2019s game, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think I am, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019ve been thinking\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She seemed to have no idea what<\/em> I was thinking. So I tried to give her more insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It seemed a given that the Empire still had some powerhouses\u2014people of unknown ability\u2014in store for us. Trying to avoid a fight was one potential option, but I thought it\u2019d only postpone the problem. I\u2019d have to live in hiding all the time, on constant lookout for imperial assassins. There\u2019d no doubt be a few skirmishes with them, and no matter how well I defended myself, there were bound to be casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To prevent that from happening, I wanted to keep the initiative on my side. To the Empire, war is something of a ritual devised to create awakened people\u2014and if so, I\u2019d have to keep fending them off for ages to come. Ignoring them would just give them more time to build their army up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo that\u2019s the decision I\u2019ve made. There\u2019s no point in padding my numbers, so I\u2019m just gonna march right over with my main force and negotiate a peace deal. If we can get rid of Ludora\u2019s pawns while we\u2019re there, hopefully Guy will take care of the rest for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I really couldn\u2019t rely on Guy at all, so I wasn\u2019t expecting that<\/em> much from him. But then the question became who to take with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you going to be all right, Sir Rimuru?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhoa, Mollie, who do you think I am? I may not look it, but I\u2019m part of the Octagram, you know. Whether it\u2019s an emperor or his personal guard, I ain\u2019t losing sleep over any of their guys!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, yes indeed! Truly, you are like a goddess to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm? Goddess?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n