Dwarf King
The Shadow Division had been ordered to observe a certain monster they were concerned about, and they brought back a report that could not be ignored.
They were building a town where monsters lived.
Was this a joke? He had nearly thought so, but the Shadow Division would never joke.
They reported the facts concisely. And the report continued.
The Orc Tribe's herd had gone on a rampage.
They were in a state of battle with the Lizardman Tribe.
With the intervention of a mysterious group of monsters, the war ended.
The mysterious monsters appeared to be subordinates of that particular monster.
He fed the report to the candle flame and burned it.
He closed his eyes and organized the situation in his mind.
Currently, the damage from the activation of monsters in the forest was far less than expected.
It was true that there had been a slight increase compared to the period when Veldora existed, but compared to years with high activity, there was no significant difference.
At minimum, damage twice this amount had been anticipated.
There was definitely a factor maintaining order in the forest. That was most likely related to that particular monster.
And then — the rampage and cessation of the Orc Tribe's herd.
If the orcs had continued their rampage and poured into the town, the scale of destruction would have been unimaginable.
There was no guarantee that their aggression wouldn't have been directed at the dwarves themselves. This wasn't a matter that could be dismissed as "just lucky."
An urgent meeting was necessary. The King's judgment was swift.
He wanted to avoid making an enemy of them. Fortunately, they had Dwarven collaborators on the other side.
He should steer the negotiations skillfully without bringing up the matter of exile.
No... perhaps it would be better to make a more decisive move.
The King made his decision and began to take action.
--- The four Demon Lords had formed an agreement prohibiting any individual from making moves on the forest alone.
That much was fine.
So who would conduct surveillance? That was where the arguments erupted.
The girl-like Demon Lord,
After all, these guys were the type whose brains were packed with nothing but muscle.
Clearly, she — cool and clever as she was — should take the lead in driving the conversation forward!
The fact that she had just thrown a desk at
She herself was exactly what she described: "the type whose brains are packed with nothing but muscle" — in other words, a "muscle-head."
Or rather...
The other Demon Lords all shared the common understanding that she was the most hot-headed and simple-minded of them all — but she didn't know that.
She couldn't stand the thought that Milim might go on a rampage again. She was always the one who had to clean up the mess.
But she couldn't refuse. Even as fellow Demon Lords, there was a clear gap in power.
They ruled the skies, and she was known as the "Queen of the Skies."
She prided herself on never losing to those who couldn't fly.
By combining her race's innate "Magic Interference" with her abilities, she could disrupt opponents' flight-type magic. Those who couldn't fly on their own would simply fall from the sky and die.
Even as a Demon Lord, falling from a great height wouldn't kill her, but it would severely limit her offensive options against opponents like Frey.
Those who couldn't fly simply weren't a threat.
But Milim Nava was different.
She was a Dragonewt. And the strongest among them, at that. Her epithet, "Destroyer Tyrant," was no mere show.
She didn't use magical power to fly through magic.
She flew with her own wings. And her Physical Body performance, independent of magic, was overwhelmingly superior.
She was the worst possible natural enemy.
This time too, she had essentially been dragged along by force.
She would just go along with whatever was said and hope the meeting ended without incident.
As long as nothing went wrong...
She sighed quietly.
He had attended the Demon Lord council to kill time, but he had gotten to see quite an interesting show.
He definitely wanted those brutes under his command.
Frey, Queen of the Winged Tribe, probably had no interest in this matter.
She had likely been dragged along by Milim. Milim might be hot-headed and simple, but she wasn't stupid.
Anticipating that the Demon Lords' opinions would split and it would come to a vote, she had brought along allies who would side with her.
What a sharp one! Carrion thought, glancing at Milim.
She looked utterly confident.
In any case, someone like Gelmud didn't have the power to mobilize four Demon Lords.
This matter had been brought to them by the eerie Demon Lord beside him —
Gelmud was Clayman's pet demon, and Clayman had taken his request and presented it before them.
What was he thinking? Behind his gentleman-like, courteous demeanor, this man never revealed his true intentions.
Now then — Milim and Clayman. Which was the more dangerous opponent?
In terms of combat power, it was undoubtedly Milim.
He himself might not even be able to beat her. This thought irritated him, but combat analysis had to be accurate, or he'd end up fighting a battle he'd lose.
By that assessment, Milim and he were roughly equal. No — Milim was slightly above.
Clayman was likely below them.
But!
This time, strategy was equally important. In that case, Milim, who was easy to talk around, was out of the question.
And since Frey followed Milim, there was no need to consider her either!
The enemy was Clayman. That was the conclusion he reached.
Now, how to bring it up...
Carrion licked his lips as he devised his strategy.
Clayman smiled his gentleman's smile and observed the three Demon Lords.
When Gelmud had consulted him this time, it was Clayman who had introduced the Demon Lords.
He had also arranged everything behind the scenes.
Gelmud thought he had gotten the Demon Lords to act by offering his magical armaments and magical treasures, but that wasn't actually the case.
Clayman had orchestrated it all.
And the two Demon Lords he had chosen were the most simple-minded of the lot.
He had also anticipated that Frey, Queen of the Winged Tribe, might be brought along. Frey was cautious and cunning, but she wouldn't be interested this time.
In that sense, everything had gone according to plan.
Two Demon Lords who specialized in brute force.
No matter how desperately they thought, they wouldn't come up with any good ideas.
He would outmaneuver them.
He'd skillfully steer the conversation, using Gelmud's quest for revenge as leverage. With two Demon Lords who were susceptible to emotion, it would be easy to deceive them!
Just as he was about to start the conversation — "You know, I've been thinking... what if each of us sent one subordinate to investigate?
If you'd like, I could send my daughters instead."
In a languid tone, Frey made her proposal.
Three Demon Lords froze in an instant.
They needed a reason to refuse, but turning it down and then trying to push for individual investigation afterward would be impossible.
All three arrived at the same thought simultaneously.
In the end, they had no choice but to accept.
The three simultaneously checked each other's expressions, then nodded in agreement.
"F-Fufufu! As it happens, I was just about to say the same thing myself!"
"What a coincidence. Same here!"
"I suppose I have no choice. To be beaten to the punch like this... So, is it decided?"
And so, the Demon Lords — though their intentions differed from one another's — each selected one subordinate to send on a reconnaissance mission.
Contrary to their plans...
And so... three monsters would end up visiting the town where Rimuru and the others lived.
--- A trio of adventurers was walking through the forest.
Kabal, Elen, and
They had been exploring the forest, handling subjugation and gathering requests.
After relaying messages to the Guild Master, they had visited Rimuru's town several times.
That town was the perfect base for adventuring. Plus, the grilled meat was delicious!
Every time they visited, the town had changed and grown.
Now they could even get weapon repairs done, and he honestly wished they would build proper lodging there as a base.
They brought seasonings like spices and salt as souvenirs — though mostly for their own benefit.
The patrols of those demon-human and wolf soldier pairs kept the surrounding area secure with their swift movement.
The forest's order was unquestionably thanks to that town.
Most importantly! They could get parts they didn't need from there...
For free!
Horned Rabbit horns, Giant Poison Frog webbing, and on lucky days, even Armored Lizard horns.
If they brought these parts to the Guild, some would count as completed subjugation requests.
It was completely cheating, but as long as they didn't get caught, it didn't matter.
Though lately, Fuse — the Blumund branch Guild Master of the Free Guild — had started to get suspicious of them.
Sudden improvements in performance tended to attract attention. They had agreed to ease up a bit to avoid getting caught.
So, under the pretense of "hunting in the forest as usual," they were on their way to visit Rimuru's town.
"But still, that place's food keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?
"That's for sure! I'm pretty picky about food, but everything there is exquisite!"
"Listen, you two. The purpose of going there isn't just to eat. Got it?
This time, don't forget that we have an actual objective, all right?"
"That's a bit of a silly question, you know!"
"Yeah! It's been two months since last time. Felt like forever!"
"Right! It was long. But the 'bath' should be done by now, right?
Can't wait!"
"In the royal capital, there are inns with baths too, you know! I've always wanted to try one!"
"Apparently, some of the otherworlders made a huge fuss, insisting it just had to be built! They say it's addictive!"
"Right? Can't wait! Most of all...
You know, Gido, there's apparently a wonderful custom in this world called 'communal bathing.' Rimuru's boss was passionately talking about it just the other day.
He was fired up about applying that custom to his town!
Do you understand, Gido?!
Our uncharted paradise (mainly meaning sharing a bath with Shuna and
"W-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
"...I was looking forward to it too, but I have to say, that reaction is a bit much."
And with that, the group pressed on — toward their uncharted paradise!
After walking for a while, they would encounter unexpected individuals.
--- The baronial domain of the Farmus Kingdom.
Its sphere of influence covered the border regions along the Great Forest of Jura.
The Border Defense Force was patrolling the villages within this border territory.
The Border Defense Force was an organization appointed by Baron Nidol Maigram, designed to patrol routes between villages so that emergency responses could be carried out swiftly.
The squad leader's name was Youm.
He was a sharp, keen-eyed young man with tanned brown skin and a well-muscled, lean build.
He wasn't particularly tall, but not short either.
He had a face you couldn't let your guard down around. Not ugly by any means — if anything, he had a well-structured face.
Though the organization numbered thirty, they were divided into three squads to patrol each village.
Taking care to distribute fighting strength evenly, one squad remained at base to rest — also so they could respond immediately upon receiving an emergency report.
The location of the base village was therefore critical, but there was no village that met the conditions well.
Each village was positioned along the outer edge of the forest, and the problem was that they were all separated by considerable distance.
If it were the nearest village, they could ride there in a day on horseback without carrying supplies. But for a village in a more remote location, transporting supplies became necessary as well.
The town where the Baron resided was too far away to serve as a base.
Furthermore, life in each village could hardly be called prosperous. The meals served were modest, and the beds were far from comfortable.
Dissatisfaction among the squad members was building.
They hadn't been given abundant military funds, so luxuries were out of the question.
Maintaining weapons and armor required a certain amount of money too.
The reason they had managed despite all this was the fact that the villagers showed their gratitude.
These rough, no-good sorts welcomed them with all the hospitality they could muster.
They knew it was because they protected the villages from monster attacks and kept the area safe, but the sincerity in that gratitude was genuine.
That gratitude warmed their hearts honestly, and it kept them going.
The fact that monster attacks hadn't been as fierce as expected, with virtually no casualties among the squad, also made a big difference.
Not a single death — and not a single serious injury to date.
Today's menu would probably be bitter herb soup again, Youm thought as he led his squad through the forest.
They were returning from a subjugation mission based on a report of a Giant Bear sighting.
They rode through the trees on horseback — the gaps weren't wide enough for a carriage.
Small branches were deflected by a magic barrier projected in front.
A carriage could only use the highway on the mountain side. Taking the highway would mean a long detour, costing too many days.
For nearby locations, no supplies were needed, but for farther ones, supplies and a carriage were both required.
Which ultimately meant an even longer detour and more time.
That was the core of the problem.
Just then, he noticed people approaching from ahead.
They appeared to be adventurers. Here for a subjugation request, perhaps? he thought.
Reports came in from each border town, so sometimes requests overlapped.
With the advancement of Spirit Engineering — communication technology — this had become less common, but emergency subjugation requests were sometimes issued before confirming with each town.
So overlapping requests remained a persistent issue.
They had already killed the Giant Bear. If these adventurers were here for that, it would be a wasted trip.
The three looked like reasonably capable adventurers, from the look of them.
Having connections with capable people wasn't a bad thing. With that in mind, he called out.
"Hey! You three. You have business up ahead?
If you've taken on the Giant Bear subjugation request, you're in for a wasted trip!"
He called out.
And they replied: "Ah, no. We're not exactly here for subjugation — well, subjugation is part of it, I guess?"
"Boss, what are you saying? Our purpose is, well, subjugation, isn't it?"
"Yeah, yeah! Officially! Oh, wait —"
Way too suspicious.
Youm silently signaled, and his men surrounded the three.
Spies from another country? He had no obligation to apprehend them, but having trouble caused by foreign agents would be a headache.
What business could they possibly have here besides subjugation? he thought.
"What business do you three have up ahead? Answer me!
Otherwise, I can't guarantee your lives!"
He didn't intend to kill them, but he tried intimidation.
The three argued among themselves for a bit, but eventually gave up.
"Actually, we have business in the town up ahead..."
The large man — presumably their leader — answered.
There was no town up ahead.
Just as he suspected — suspicious. Should he hand them over to the lord? But he couldn't stand that fox of a baron. What to do...
"No, really! The monsters there are kind, and—"
"Hey! This is bad — you can't just go telling people about it!"
"They won't know! But if we get banned from coming again, we'll have to leave you behind, sis!"
Suspicious, but he couldn't just ignore them either.
Watching the three start bickering yet again, Youm thought.
He needed to verify this.
"What organization are you three adventurers from? State your purpose as well!
Don't try to hide anything.
We are the Border Defense Force of the Farmus Kingdom, Baronial Territory. I am Squad Leader Youm!"
The three exchanged looks and nodded as though conceding.
Handling spies was outside his jurisdiction, but that didn't mean he couldn't do it.
He couldn't just leave it be, either.
In principle, there was a mutual agreement to prevent countries from planting spies in each other's territories. But whether that was actually observed was an open secret.
He didn't know which country they belonged to, but if they were spies disguised as adventurers, what a sorry state of affairs.
If they were real spies, they would try to take their own lives before being captured, but these three showed no such intent.
Were they really adventurers? Just as he began to wonder — "No, seriously! But, you see, that place is a town of monsters...
You wouldn't believe us even if we told you, right?"
"And besides, we don't want to cause trouble for Lord Rimuru..."
"You won't know! But if it was you who let it slip, Boss... If we end up banned from entering, what are you going to do about it?"
And so they began arguing yet again.
Youm was exasperated, but at the same time, he felt they might not actually be lying.
If so, all he could do was check for himself!
And so, he had the three suspicious individuals bound and placed on horseback, and with them guiding the way, he turned back along the path they had come.
Toward the direction of a town none of them had yet seen.
And there, he would encounter the monsters with whom he would share a deep connection from that point forward.