Marudoland Island.
Just as Ciel had said, I detected several near-Demon Lord-class special individuals through my Magic Sense.
One on each of the four sides of the island.
Each one appeared to have its own territory.
And at the center, there was a Demon Lord-class reaction. Interestingly, these monsters appeared to maintain the island's equilibrium by clashing with one another without ever escalating into all-out slaughter.
Somewhere in the world, there must still be countless creatures lurking that could rival the former Demon Lords, held back only by a lack of intelligence.
This time, I'd happened to stumble upon one such monster.
So, what did Laplace plan to do from here?
I could hardly contain my excitement as I turned my attention to his movements.
"Well then, you'll all be working for yours truly as loyal underlings…"
"Get lost! We can fight for real here too! Who'd ever serve you—ghk!!"
The moment they disembarked from the airship, Laplace launched into his speech.
The students had grouped up by academy, with their teachers standing at the front.
Including the teachers and guards, there were over a hundred people.
Each academy seemed to have sent about thirty-some students aboard the airship.
It was wise of them to come down willingly. If they'd damaged the airship, Laplace really might have lost it.
They'd probably been planning to defeat Laplace and commandeer the ship, and it was simply more convenient for both sides to be away from it.
And so, as Laplace began his speech, one of the teachers immediately challenged him — only to be silenced by a single blow from Tia.
Unfortunately, the gap in combat ability was enormous, and after ten years of relative peace since the Great War, the teachers had gone somewhat soft. There was no way they could beat Laplace and his crew.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm. If you insist on defying yours truly, by all means! Allow me to demonstrate the difference in our power right here and now, won't you?"
Laplace spread his arms wide in a provocative gesture.
"You little brat!"
"Don't underestimate us! Witness our true strength!"
"We'll protect you children! Don't you worry!"
And so on.
The teachers shouted among themselves, taking up stances against Laplace.
Their weapons had been confiscated, so they were empty-handed. At this point, their combat power was already drastically diminished.
"Come forth, blade of the sky! Manifest now — Elemental Magic: Weapon Creation!"
One of the teachers produced a magnificent weapon and distributed them to everyone.
Unfortunately, the weapons were limited in duration, but they reflected the user's abilities, making them reasonably powerful. Given that teacher's skill, they'd probably last about ten minutes — Special-grade weapons with a time limit, essentially.
There were four combat-oriented teachers remaining. The moment the weapons reached everyone's hands, the battle began.
……
…
The results went without saying.
The teachers fought hard. Truly, they gave it their all.
But reality was cruel.
None of them had even surpassed A-rank, so not a single one could take down Tia alone.
"Te-Teacher!"
"N-No way… Professor Brown too—"
Pessimistic cries of despair rose from the students all around.
My heart ached slightly, but this was all for the sake of correcting their twisted attitudes. I couldn't afford to go easy on them.
I gave Laplace a subtle nod.
"Hmph-hmph! As expected of yours truly — super awesome~! Now then, are there any brave little fools left who still want to resist~?"
Laplace struck a theatrical pose as he surveyed the students, lightly unleashing his Intimidation.
His appearance gave off an almost unhinged air, and he cut quite an impressive figure.
"Now then, now then, it seems you've all been convinced! So everyone, please put these on~!"
Laplace snapped his fingers to gather everyone's attention, then produced a single bracelet to show them.
It was a magical device known as the Parasitic Biological Analysis Bracelet.
It had been crafted by the research team developing auxiliary tools for labyrinth conquest. It featured a monitor that digitized and displayed the wearer's biological information.
It was a prototype designed to quantify the strength of defeated monsters and display them as easily readable point totals.
The idea was to assign point values to individual elements such as trap disarming and monster elimination.
When labyrinth challengers wore this during their attempts, their total score at the point of death or return would be clearly displayed.
Prizes would be prepared based on tiered score thresholds.
This plan had been proposed during the previous meeting, and I remembered it well.
So Laplace had brought this item along. How convenient — this would be a perfect opportunity to field-test the bracelet's performance.
And Laplace's objective was most likely—
"This bracelet displays a point total. It'll show at a glance how you've been living on this island! I think you understand now, but the kind-hearted yours truly will spell it out for you in plain words! Surviving on this island for one week is the first trial to becoming my subordinate! But just surviving would be boring, so I'll be setting a minimum score threshold! Exciting, isn't it? I'm sure you can guess what happens to those who fail the cutoff~! Now then — let the fun survival game begin~!"
Was his speaking style getting inconsistent? Well, whatever.
Still, it seemed to be working. Laplace explained everything in his usual playful manner.
Just as I'd expected — he intended to use the point values on the bracelet to motivate the students with pressure.
Meanwhile, Tia had already gone around fitting each person with a bracelet. It seemed there was no mistake.
"Wait! You say points, but what happens if our score is low? At the very least, can't you tell us what the cutoff score is?!"
Oh? To ask a question in this situation — this student had some backbone.
Looking more closely, it was a red-haired beastkin who'd been getting in Julius's face — a student noble, apparently.
Really, their sense of justice and responsibility were frustratingly half-baked.
"Hmm hmm, you want to know? Yours truly hasn't actually decided yet~"
Still using his creepy speech patterns, Laplace looked over at me for help with his eyes.
You idiot! You hadn't decided yet?!
Not that it would help to ask me in this situation… but oh well.
If I used my abilities too openly, my presence here would be exposed. Stopping time was out of the question — and besides, Laplace couldn't operate in a frozen world anyway.
But at this distance, a super-high-speed meeting via Thought Communication should be feasible.
With thinking accelerated ten thousand times, one second would equate to a hundred and sixty-six minutes.
Even as I sighed, I initiated Thought Acceleration with Laplace and the others.
◇◇◇
The moment the thought connection was established—
"How do you do, Lord Rimuru~! How was my performance?"
"It's been a while, Lord Rimuru! Can we handle things from here on out?"
I was greeted as though they'd been waiting for this exact moment.
I didn't mind letting them take over, but since we had some time, I decided to hear their plan.
"Hey, Laplace. You haven't thought about what comes next at all, have you?"
"Oh no no, I have considered it somewhat! It's just — I was wrestling with what score threshold to set and what penalty to assign for those who fall below it. That red-haired one asking for specifics really threw me…"
It seemed Laplace had been planning to figure it out after seeing the results.
Sure, it was natural that he couldn't commit to a specific number without knowing what scores students would actually achieve, but still—
"In situations like that, you should've just said 'Tha~t's a~ sec~ret~!' you fool!"
"Oh! That would've worked, wouldn't it!"
He scratched his head with a chagrined expression.
This guy never seemed to let anything slip, yet somehow he always did.
"Well, no point in that now. Let's settle on the scores."
I steered the conversation back from the tangent.
First, I had him review the bracelet's scoring system:
・Vigilance actions: 1–10 points ・Negotiation actions: 1–10 points ・Monster elimination: E-rank or lower: 1 point D-rank: 2–5 points C-rank: 6–30 points B-rank: 31–100 points A-minus rank: 500 points A-rank or above: 10,000 points or more ・Rescue actions: 1–30 points ・Hindrance actions: -1 to -100 points ※Cannot drop below zero. ・Reckless actions: Score reset ・Killing actions: Score locked at zero
That was roughly how I'd set it up.
Individual "actions" earned points for the person performing them, while "elimination" points were split among party members as a baseline.
However, a minimum of one point per person was guaranteed — a mercy provision, since simply truncating the decimals would have been far too harsh.
That said, don't expect everyone in a party to each earn a full point just for taking down an E-rank monster.
Naturally, if you took one down solo, you claimed all the points for yourself.
But the risk increased proportionally.
For instance, there were A-rank-plus monsters on this island, but hunting them would be impossible.
Against even a single A-minus rank monster, five B-plus rank adventurers working together were barely a match.
That was the minimum rank of a Floor Guardian in the current Labyrinth, and even parties of six still struggled.
To hunt safely, you'd need twice that many members.
For students who hadn't even reached B-rank, managing to hunt C-rank monsters as a group would be a feat in itself.
Even C-rank monsters possessed strength comparable to lower-level Lizardman warriors — a heavy burden for students.
Realistically, at the student level, surviving a week wouldn't net more than a hundred points at best…
"I see — so even with maximum effort, a hundred points is the ceiling."
Laplace looked contemplative at my explanation.
From the students' perspective, even if they killed a D-rank Goblin, each person only received a single point. Even taking down ten per day, they'd only earn seventy points in a single week.
For starters, this island wasn't a Monster Land — it wasn't like a dungeon where monsters spawned endlessly.
At the top sat a Degraded Demon Lord species, forming a pyramid.
I'd confirmed near-Demon Lord-class special individuals at four points around the island.
Only these five individuals exceeded A-rank.
And there seemed to be several additional A-minus rank special individuals as well.
These monsters reigned as apex predators, with both individual counts and species diversity increasing at each lower tier.
Even so, B-rank numbers reached into the dozens, C-rank into the hundreds.
As for D-rank — there were perhaps a few thousand at most.
If a hundred students hunted a hundred D-rank monsters each, they'd need ten thousand total.
This island simply didn't have that many, so inevitably, they'd have to take on the more dangerous C-rank monsters.
In truth, if they actually did that, it would throw the island's ecosystem into chaos, and I doubted the island's reigning King would permit it.
Common sense alone dictated that was off the table.
The scarcity of monsters meant less danger — that was precisely why I'd chosen this location as a training ground. As long as they didn't go picking fights with near-Demon Lord-class beings on their own, there was nothing to fear.
What I wanted was for them to learn cooperation and mutual aid through this experience.
The arrogant and overconfident. The indifferent to others. The ones who lacked self-belief.
By struggling on this ground, they would come to understand their own helplessness, grasp the importance of working together, and discover what role they could play in various situations.
The goal was to help them find what they were lacking within themselves.
There was absolutely no need to pick fights with the island's King or take unnecessary risks.
I explained all of this to the troubled Laplace.
Laplace and Tia listened intently.
They seemed satisfied.
"Right then — shall we say thirty points qualifies as passing? And as for the penalty… what shall we do?"
"Whatever you like."
"Huh? What do you mean by that… Don't tell me—!"
"Exactly that. The fact that such low-level fools exist at the academy is itself unforgivable, wouldn't you say?"
"I would! I absolutely would!!"
Laplace looked extremely pleased.
Tia didn't seem to follow, but my next words brought a look of understanding to her face.
"One year. I'm entrusting them to you, Laplace."
"Thank you so much! I'm super motivated now! Also… the Letter of Marque — is it really…?"
"If you doubt it, we can just scrap the whole thing."
"Sorry! Yours truly believes in Lord Rimuru with all his heart!"
He looked like he was about to shout "Woo-hoo!" — Laplace was positively beaming.
Tia seemed to have caught up with the situation as well, wearing a blissful smile.
Of course they'd be happy.
After all, I'd officially sanctioned them to recruit low-level students as subordinates.
These two worked under Souei as special operatives, meaning they essentially had no comrades.
So even for a limited one-year term, having companions would bring them joy.
And then there was the Letter of Marque.
If any nation attempted flight experiments, I intended to crush them immediately.
Having subordinates for that purpose would make for the ultimate stage for Laplace.
For Tia, having subordinates worth drilling would make for fine playthings — and her current expression said as much.
"But is it right to involve promising young people in criminal activity—"
"Hold it right there! What are you saying, Laplace? Watch your mouth! I've given my authorization, so it's perfectly legal! Listen — I'm the Great Demon Lord! I've granted autonomy to various nations on the ground, but the skies above? I haven't recognized anyone's claim there. So it only stands to reason that whoever claims sovereignty first becomes the rightful owner, right? Well, when it came to the sky, I did need Milim's approval as well… but look at this!"
So saying, I produced what appeared to be a sheet of high-grade paper from my mental storage.
It had been treated with magic to prevent deterioration and reinforced so that it wouldn't crease even when folded.
But the paper itself wasn't what mattered — it was what was written on it.
Inscribed upon it was a clause, signed jointly by myself and Milim, granting freedom for specific purposes in the sky.
Laplace may have assumed this was merely a permit valid only within my domain of the Great Forest of Jura.
But what I'd prepared went beyond a mere Letter of Marque — it was nothing short of a document of sky dominion.
"W-What the—!? What kind of thing have you prepared…?"
Whether from shock or disbelief, Laplace was at a loss for words.
"So that means… Are we really free to…?"
"That's right, Tia!"
"Aaaaah!" Tia squealed, throwing her arms around Laplace.
Even though this was all happening in our minds, she was remarkably expressive. Well, I was one to talk…
By showing them this proof, Laplace and Tia were finally convinced.
"So that means…"
"Yes. If students end up working as your subordinates, it won't constitute a crime. Any ship that flies without prior notice to me is, by definition, an illegal intrusion. And when the one-year term ends and you release them, the only one who'd suffer from mentioning it would be them — and besides, wouldn't a year of that experience teach them more than anything they could learn at the academy?"
"Leave it to me! I'll make sure to give them a proper education!"
"Me too! Every single day will be paradise!"
Both Tia and Laplace seemed to be envisioning the future with relish.
For my part, I needed to think ahead as well.
When the Demon Sky Airlines was attacked, I could have them feign being subdued… or perhaps cover all damages while requisitioning passengers in the same manner…
Allowing a certain degree of stimulation might serve to instill a genuine sense of urgency…
But now was not the time to dwell on that.
"All right, since you're both on board, let's get back to the matter at hand."
I shifted gears.
And in less than a second of real time, we held a comprehensive meeting.
◇◇◇
And so, everything was decided.
The moment I deactivated Thought Communication, Laplace showed no more hesitation and resumed his grandiose explanation.
And then—
"Everyone, you understand, right? Thirty points! Any deadweight who can't even score thirty points is no use to yours truly~! But, but — resources must be put to good use, so I'll put you to work building our secret base instead! The choice is yours~! So give it everything you've got, but try not to die~!"
"Attention! I have one important warning — we don't need parasites who drag their teammates down! The Captain is kind, so he'll treasure his companions very much. But selfish people can't become companions. If you want to stay here and live, that's your call, but whatever you do, don't betray your teammates during this week~! Remember that the Parasitic Biological Analysis Bracelet is constantly monitoring your actions — so conduct yourselves with pride! Now then, enjoy a wonderful week~!"
The two of them closed their speech.
And just like that, they departed on the airship, leaving the students in a state of utter confusion.