Correction: Diablo, who had no need to sleep, simply finished his work during the night. He always made sure to clear away all trivial tasks in whatever free time he had, so that he could spend his mornings alongside his beloved master, Rimuru.
As usual, when he visited Rimuru's bedroom, the daily contest between
"Now, Shion, you were the one who did it yesterday. Today is my turn, is it not?"
"With all due respect, Lady Shuna, this is my duty as secretary. No matter what you say, I cannot comply!"
Diablo elegantly disregarded the entire exchange and entered the room.
(Oh my. How they manage to keep this up every single morning without ever growing tired of it is beyond me. They're making so much noise that there's no way Lord Rimuru hasn't noticed, and yet…)
There had been a time when he considered intervening.
"Don't bother. That's like walking barefoot through a minefield. If you have no resolve, then let sleeping dogs lie."
That was the advice Rimuru himself had given, so Diablo had decided to leave the two of them alone.
It was undoubtedly the correct call. This was a daily ritual, and sometimes Milim or
(Hohohoho. As expected of Lord Rimuru — you saw all of this coming, didn't you?)
He marveled at Rimuru's foresight while faithfully obeying the order to let sleeping dogs lie. Worrying about every little thing would only exhaust him, and Diablo had come to realize that ignoring it altogether was the wisest course of action.
That said, this was only possible because he was Diablo. If it were
"Brother, please tell Shion for me!"
"Wait — what? Anyone would wake up like that…"
"Lord Benimaru. This is my duty as secretary. Surely you understand how important work is?"
"Of course. Work is important, but—"
"Brother!!"
"Lord Benimaru!!"
He would be berated from both sides and end up playing the villain.
It was precisely because Diablo cloaked himself in an aura that rejected others — an overwhelming Intimidation — that they found it difficult to approach him in the first place.
And so, Diablo continued to refine his extraordinary ability to look the other way.
"Lord Rimuru, it is Diablo. Your morning preparations are complete, so I have come to rouse you."
With that, he entered Rimuru's room.
But what he found inside was quite different from the usual morning scene.
◇◇◇ He bowed, then raised his head.
When Diablo directed his gaze toward the bed, a single slime was trembling upon it.
"Oh? Lord Rimuru, is something the matter?"
"Jiggle jiggle. I'm a slime named Rimuru! I'm not a bad slime!"
"Are you feeling unwell—"
"Mmm-waaah!! What happened to you, Lord Rimuru!?"
"Just a moment, Shion! Let me hold him too!"
Diablo had been about to ask whether Rimuru was feeling ill when Shion shoved him aside from the right.
She scooped up the trembling slime from the bed and began nuzzling her cheek against it with a look of pure bliss.
Shuna watched with envy, extending her hand and attempting to pry the slime from Shion's grasp.
To the two of them, Rimuru's apparent transformation didn't seem to be a pressing concern.
(Shion, though… to think she could shove me aside so effortlessly. In terms of raw strength alone, she may well surpass me. But still — what on earth has happened to Lord Rimuru…)
Keeping one eye on the two of them as they took turns cradling and petting the slime, Diablo began piecing things together.
There was no doubt that the slime before him was Rimuru himself. Yet the name that had come from his own mouth was "Rimuru." Setting Shion aside, there was no impostor who could deceive Shuna's Analytical Appraisal — so it was unquestionably the genuine article.
(My own measurements also indicate an impossibly vast quantity of Magicules. So this slime is indeed Lord Rimuru himself? But still—) The slime was passively allowing the two women to fuss over it, looking thoroughly tickled. It appeared utterly innocent, devoid of the usual Rimuru-like defiance. And yet, the conclusion that this was the real person remained unshaken…
Shuna and Shion happily began tending to the slime — to Rimuru.
(This is most likely part of some scheme of Lord Rimuru's. Well, well — I wonder what he's up to this time.)
Diablo arrived at his conclusion. Most likely, the original body had been left behind in its entirety while his consciousness had been transferred to a pseudo-body. He recalled how Rimuru had once complained that his ever-growing Existence Value made covert operations difficult. If he used his Multiple Parallel Existence, the location of his Divide Body would be immediately pinpointed — which explained why he hadn't left one behind.
(Oh dear. Did he leave no consciousness behind because explaining it would be troublesome? Or perhaps he intended it as a message that he had gone out? Either way, all I need to do is locate Lord Rimuru. Hohohoho.)
Leaving the doting Shuna and Shion to fuss over Rimuru, Diablo promptly set out to begin his search, guided by instinct.
◆◆◆ The escape had been a success.
Well, of course it had.
After all, I had painstakingly run every conceivable test and prepared a pseudo-body completely devoid of magical energy. This body's capabilities were on par with an ordinary human's. There was no way anyone would realize I was the Demon Lord.
I was in excellent spirits over how smoothly the plan was going.
The objective this time was to attend the Forum — the Eighth International Conference on the Advancement of Magic and Science — held at the Inglassia Academy City. Not as a presenter, but as an ordinary attendee.
The Forum was held annually, but there was a specific reason I decided to attend this year. One of the presenters happened to be someone I knew.
That presenter was Koga Mai.
She was the person who had created the original ability upon which my perfected Teleportation had been based.
At present, there existed three institutions referred to as academies. The first was Tempest Human Resource Development Academy, located in the Jura-Tempest Nation where I resided. The second was the Inglassia General Academy, an expansion of the academy that had existed in what was formerly the Kingdom of Inglassia and was now the Inglassia Academy City. And the third was the NNU Magic-Science Research Academy, part of the Nasca Namrium Ulmeria United Eastern Federation.
Each academy had its own particular strengths, and none could be said to definitively surpass the others.
The Forum, held every year, rotated its host city annually. This time it simply happened to be held in Inglassia Academy City.
Mai, this year's presenter, didn't actually conduct research at the Inglassia Academy. She was affiliated with the NNU Magic-Science Research Academy. On the surface, NNU was considered the most technologically advanced, which was why she was registered there — though in truth, since she could move about freely using Teleportation, her institutional affiliation was more of a formality.
This time, Mai had finally succeeded in developing Interdimensional Navigation. The announcement of her theoretical findings was something I simply could not miss.
As for why I was attending in secret, there was a reason for that too. Having become famous as the Great Demon Lord who saved the world, if I were to publicly announce my attendance, it would trigger a massive uproar — heightened security, elaborate preparations, the works. There was also the risk of some fool trying to make a name for themselves by targeting me. Even if nothing happened to me personally, if the presenters or audience members were caught up in the chaos, it would be disastrous. The presenters, in particular, were the sharpest minds from every nation — the loss would be incalculable.
I could always rewind time and undo it if it came to that, but it would be far simpler to prevent trouble from arising in the first place. Besides, I was simply in the mood for a solo stroll — a breath of fresh air.
Tempest had grown into a major city by now, and no matter where I went, there were eyes on me. I lived freely for the most part, but it was only natural to occasionally crave the chance to move about completely undetected.
The entire plan had been carried out in secret. I hadn't even told Diablo, though knowing him, once he spotted the body I'd left behind — Rimuru — he would surely piece together my intentions.
The rest came down to a race against time: could they find me now that I looked no different from any ordinary human? That was part of the fun, too.
So, in any case, I had slipped out of Tempest under cover of night and made my way to the airfield. I wouldn't use Teleportation from here — I wanted to prevent anyone from predicting my destination by analyzing spatial distortions.
In my true form, I could teleport without leaving traces, but my Existence Value alone would give away my location. Shuna's Analytical Appraisal had a level of precision second only to mine and Milim's, so acting carelessly risked immediate detection.
Well, that was precisely what Rimuru was for. By leaving that decoy behind, I could throw Shuna and Shion off the trail.
There was only one reason I had come to the airfield: to board an airship.
The fundamentals of escape dictate that moving on foot without using public facilities offers the best chance of evading surveillance. In this world, however, surveillance relied on magic, so it wasn't as severe as all that. More to the point, traveling under one's own power actually increased the risk, since the traces of whatever abilities you used could be used to pinpoint your location.
I was currently human. I could use my abilities without issue, but as an extra precaution, I had sealed them away — better safe than sorry.
I had been carefully saving from my meager allowance and had accumulated a decent sum. Honestly, since I could acquire most things I wanted in kind, obtaining actual cash was quite difficult. So the money I had on hand hadn't grown much beyond the gold coins I'd initially acquired — roughly two hundred gold coins, wrung out of Mjurmul through pleading and intimidation.
Converted to Japanese yen, that was a staggering twenty million yen. But how did that compare to what a Demon Lord ought to carry? It was a bit questionable, I supposed, but since the salaries for my subordinates were still entirely Mjurmul's responsibility, I figured I should probably stop complaining.
At the airfield, I purchased a ticket to the Kingdom of Inglassia. Ten gold coins — one million yen. Not cheap, by any measure.
But there was no cause for panic. It looked expensive at first glance, but it was actually quite a bargain. If I took a train, I could make the trip for less than a tenth of the price. However, even on the express, it would take a minimum of three days to travel from Tempest to the Kingdom of Inglassia. If I boarded a local that stopped at every city, it would take over ten days.
Factoring in meals and lodging, the airship was the far more economical choice — it would reach the Kingdom of Inglassia in about half a day.
When weighing time against cost, the modern human in me would always choose time. It was curious how that instinct persisted even with an infinite lifespan.
《The Maten Aviation Company — the airship operator — is registered under your name, Master. Even if you spend lavishly here, the money ultimately flows back into your own coffers, so there is no need to fuss over the details.》 If I went down that road, I'd only end up exposing my own penny-pinching. Siel's deadpan retorts were as sharp as ever.
◇◇◇ And so, ticket in hand, I boarded the airship.
Having paid ten gold coins, the interior was appropriately lavish. Naturally — I had personally overseen the design and put my input into every detail.
Now then, off to the luxury cabin— "Oh, you. You must be a student enrolling at the academy this year, right? Then you should head this way."
As I made my way toward the upper-class section, a flight attendant stopped me.
Judging by my appearance, she had apparently mistaken me for a student heading to the academy in Inglassia. My current form had jet-black hair, and I was wearing glasses and a mask — which made me considerably less conspicuous.
My apparent age was set to around fifteen, so being mistaken for a student was understandable.
I had wanted to take on the appearance of Mikami Satoru, but that had proven impossible. I had brought back my genetic information, so there should have been no reason it couldn't be done— 《Negative. No justification exists for changing your sex.》 She had rejected the request in her usual cold, clipped manner. It wasn't that it couldn't be done — Siel simply wouldn't allow it.
She had vetoed the idea on the grounds that allowing me to become female might invite all manner of troublesome complications.
—Allowing only the other women to enjoy such a benefit would be utterly unconscionable!!
A chill ran down my spine. Best not to think too deeply about that one.
In any case, I needed to deal with the flight attendant.
The upper-class section offered private rooms — a handful of luxurious suites situated at the top of the airship. General seating, by contrast, consisted of partitioned seats arranged at regular intervals, much like the airplane seats of my old world. A single gold coin got you a general seat, making it the popular choice among ordinary travelers.
I had chosen the luxury cabin precisely because I didn't want to draw attention — but on reflection, a young child like me entering the luxury cabin would only make me stand out even more.
Switching tickets would be a trivial matter. Perhaps it would be better to simply go along with the attendant's assumption.
Airships rarely reached full capacity, so if I just sat in an empty seat in general class, there would be no need to raise any eyebrows.
"Oh, yes. I'm sorry — I'm new to all this and got confused."
"Ah, you'd be surprised how many kids like you there are. The ticket's expensive, so your parents probably couldn't come along, and they're probably worried. But don't worry! Every crew member on this ship will personally see to it that you arrive safely in the Kingdom of Inglassia!"
The flight attendant flashed a dashing smile and replied with breezy confidence.
As I recalled, only B-rank individuals or above — those who surpassed an ordinary knight — were eligible to serve as flight attendants. This one was no mere pretty face; his bearing and demeanor were equally impressive.
He would be wearing a special protective suit woven with magical fibers, and at his side, a specialized sword capable of converting Battle Aura into a blade through engraved magic.
This flight attendant was an elite far above any low-ranking noble. I had set the hiring standards myself, after all.
And here he was, treating a mere potential student with such courteous attentiveness. Maten Aviation Company's training program was clearly first-rate. I was satisfied.
With a smile and a word of thanks, I followed the attendant's guidance — and was promptly led to general class.
"Well then, do your best!"
He left me with that cheerful parting smile and departed.
"Ah, thanks."
My reply came out rather curt, but I couldn't afford to stand out, so he would have to forgive me.
I took an open seat in the unreserved section.
In roughly fifteen-some hours, I would arrive in the Kingdom of Inglassia. As long as they were looking for traces of my abilities, they would never catch me. If the investigative methods of my old world had been carried over, it might have been a different story, but here, I could escape without a care.
I let out a long breath, settled into the comfortable seat with a sense of satisfaction, and allowed myself to relax.
◆◆◆ Diablo began searching for Rimuru and fell into thought.
(Let me see — reasoning from Lord Rimuru's perspective…)
He pondered for a moment, and almost immediately arrived at a conclusion. If Rimuru was truly serious about escaping, tracing his movements would be extremely difficult.
He summoned his subordinate
So what was there to do?
He placed himself in Rimuru's shoes and tried to read his thought process.
Flight or teleportation would leave traces that could be quickly identified. So perhaps he had traveled on foot. But that required a destination…
And at that point, someone who was well-acquainted with Rimuru's habits and might have an inkling of where he would go occurred to him. Someone who served as something like Rimuru's secretary— Naturally, it was not Shion.
Compared to Shion, Diablo performed far more secretary-like duties.
He recalled the scene he had witnessed before leaving Rimuru's room. He had considered asking Shuna to divine Rimuru's whereabouts, but had abandoned the idea before even opening his mouth.
In his line of sight, Shuna and Shion had been locked in a fierce tug-of-war.
"I shall take care of Lord Rimuru. It would be too much for a coarse woman like you!"
"What are you saying, Lady Shuna? Despite appearances, children love me! Just leave it to me!"
The two of them were grabbing and pulling at what could only be called Rimuru's vacated shell — his true body.
(K-Kehehe… Shion, matching Shuna in raw strength!? Since when did Lady Shuna develop such power…? No, that's beside the point. If their attention is elsewhere, it would be unwise to approach them with questions.)
Diablo nodded to himself, then quietly slipped out of the room without letting either of them notice.
"Ladies, do try to moderate yourselves—"
He murmured that in a voice too quiet for them to hear, then took his leave.