Three days had passed.
She was oversleeping way too much. Seriously, she needed to knock it off.
...No.
I knew. I understood that she was never going to wake up.
But I didn't want to admit it.
Acting like an idiot like always, making that god-awful food...
But that was a wish that could never be fulfilled. The dead don't come back to life...
《Announcement. Analysis of the barrier enveloping the surrounding area is complete. Disabling is possible. Shall it be executed? YES/NO》 No, don't execute it yet.
It seemed the Great Sage had finished analyzing the barrier I'd had it working on.
It took longer than I expected, but for a barrier covering an entire town, maybe this was about right. A portion of it had already been eaten through, so I figured that was why it had been decoded in this amount of time.
Not that it mattered...
Barriers. None of it mattered.
What about the other investigation?
《Announcement. Search results: no matches found. No resurrection magic could be located.》 So that was that...
Well, of course. There was no way a magic that convenient would be found so easily. That was only natural.
But still, wasn't there a chance it existed?
Even if it was futile—even if someone said I was just flailing around in desperation—I couldn't stop myself from looking.
Shion still wasn't waking up.
She wasn't asleep, so that made sense...
But I was mobilizing every ability I had, searching for any possible means.
It wasn't just Shion. I'd been using my Magicules to protect the bodies of everyone resting here.
So they wouldn't rot.
So they wouldn't dissolve back into Magicules and vanish.
It was probably futile. But I was clinging to that sliver of "what if."
And the result was: no matches.
The magic books I'd obtained from the academy didn't contain any resurrection magic.
Right. Of course they wouldn't.
I wanted to absorb everyone into me—to let them slumber inside me while I prayed that someday they'd awaken.
Just as I was about to do that, "Boss, I'm sorry... I'm late."
"Rimuru, Boss, I don't even know what to say..."
Voices called out to me. People were approaching.
Give me a little more time. I'll pull myself together soon.
That was what I thought, but— "Rimuru, listen...
The chances are slim, but... no, I'd say they're practically nonexistent, but...
There are a few fairy tales about the dead being resurrected."
Those words clicked into place inside my brain, like a piece snapping into a lock.
Mind and body aligning as one.
"You're going to tell me all about it, right, Elen?"
I turned around and faced the three adventurers.
If there was even a possibility, I wouldn't hesitate to bet on it.
Elen nodded and began to speak.
...
...
...
I listened to Elen's story.
It was a fairy tale, but an oddly specific one.
It was the story of a girl and me —a dragon.
A girl who had her dragon killed over a certain incident grieved for her only friend— me —and in her fury, annihilated the nation responsible.
Along with the hundred-odd thousand citizens who lived there.
And then, the girl evolved into a Demon Lord. It was at that moment that the miracle occurred.
The dragon connected to the girl had died, but upon the girl's evolution, it too evolved even in death.
However... the miracle ended there.
The dragon, whose soul had vanished at the moment of death, was resurrected as a soulless, malevolent Chaos Dragon.
It was loyal to the girl's commands, but had transformed into an evil dragon that brought ruin to everyone else.
Awakened from her rage, the now-Demon Lord girl lamented as she sealed away the Chaos Dragon that had once been me —and her friend.
The story ended with the girl sealing the dragon away.
There were other tales too—a vampire girl who resurrected someone by draining blood, a necromancer who brought someone back—but in every case, the resurrected person's personality had changed drastically, becoming someone entirely different.
They were apparently written about in forbidden texts.
They were said to exist in a single volume, housed in the secret library of the Sorcerer Dynasty Sarion...
But none of that mattered.
The issue was...
Evolution, huh.
Monsters certainly did evolve in incomprehensible ways. Just giving one a name had caused a huge commotion.
Was it possible? All I had to do was become a Demon Lord...
But it would be meaningless if the result was just a soulless monster.
Wait, though. Right now, this place was covered by a barrier that no monster could pass through.
If I thought about it the other way—didn't that mean there was a possibility that the souls hadn't dispersed?
《Analysis. The probability that the souls of the monsters, including Shion, still exist is 3.14%.》 That's pi! Wait—that's not the point.
It felt low, but that was the wrong way to look at it. It was high.
There was over a three percent chance of resurrection from death. That's how I should think about it.
Besides, there was no way that stubborn Shion would die from something like this. Like hell she would.
For the first time, I could see hope. Now I just had to act.
Whether I could become a Demon Lord was the question, but— 《Analysis.
You already fulfill the conditions for Demon Lord species.
The necessary condition for evolution into a Demon Lord requires a sacrifice of 10,000 humans.》 That's all? Easy enough.
A Demon Lord? Fine, I'll become one. No problem.
It was just a simple little job of killing about ten thousand pieces of trash.
If that wasn't enough, I'd just add more.
And as luck would have it, the "food" seemed to be heading our way. My luck was finally turning around.
Then it suddenly occurred to me— "Elen, thanks for telling me. But...
Are you sure about this? What you just told me is basically the same as saying you want me to become a Demon Lord."
I stared at Elen as I said it.
Elen lowered her gaze for a moment, falling silent.
Then, as if steeling herself, she raised her head and said: "I'm from the Sorcerer Dynasty Sarion, you see.
Truth is, I always dreamed of being a free adventurer.
But you know what? I don't care anymore.
I want to save Shion just as much as you do.
The Holy Church—I'll never forgive them.
The idea that monsters are evil just because they're monsters—I hate that way of thinking.
I understand that by telling you what I did, there's no taking it back.
If I continue adventuring, it'll surely cause trouble for the Free Guild too.
So...
I've decided to throw in my lot with this country.
I want to spend what little free time I have left here.
Is that alright? Rimuru..."
At those words, Kabal shook his head silently, while
When I looked at them questioningly— "What can I do? If the young lady says so, then as her bodyguard, I have no objections."
"Sis... no, Lady Elen. Are you sure?"
The two of them regarded Elen with the look of people who had also made their resolve.
So she wasn't just some ordinary adventurer...
Elen, whose real name was Elyun, was apparently a noble of the Sorcerer Dynasty Sarion. She had studied at the academy in the royal capital, became enamored with the idea of adventuring, and left the country.
With her two bodyguards in tow...
"Probably, once Rimuru becomes a Demon Lord, it'll become public knowledge that I leaked information.
The fact that I was involved is already known to the intelligence division, and they'll definitely find out.
I'll be dragged back to the country without a word.
So, I want to help as much as I can while I'm here.
I want to see this through to the end."
She looked at me with earnest eyes.
I already had that information.
I wasn't sure what impact the Sorcerer Dynasty Sarion's response would have on this country, but I couldn't just ignore Elen being taken away.
Though it didn't seem like she'd come to any real harm...
I'd set that issue aside for now.
"Well, I'll hold off on that for now.
I'd rather not make any more enemies..."
"Is that so? I suppose there's nothing to be done.
But surely I can stay and confirm whether Shion is saved or not, until the very end?"
"Fine. You gave me the information, Elen.
By all means, stay and see it through to the end.
But if I do become a Demon Lord and my personality changes and I attack you, I'm not taking responsibility. Okay?"
"Hmm... I don't like it, but I guess there's no choice.
I believe in you, Rimuru!"
"Hey, hey, miss... You're dragging us into this too, you know.
Really, no choice, huh..."
"There's nothing to be done about it, Boss. Lady Elen is always like this..."
The two of them sighed but didn't object.
I didn't know what they meant by that, but the two seemed to be completely loyal to Elen.
But thanks to her, I'd settled on a course of action.
I was going to save Shion!
If becoming a Demon Lord was what it took, then so be it.
In three days, the enemy's main force would be arriving.
I'd confirmed the situation.
Now all that was left was to act.
Once that decision was made, everything moved fast.
I decided to gather everyone for a strategy meeting.
If the barrier that was currently up was suddenly dispelled, the souls of Shion and the others might scatter and vanish.
Fearing that, I'd enveloped the town in a barrier of my own using the full extent of my Magicules.
It consumed a staggering amount of energy, but it was nothing to me now.
In fact, compared to the despair I'd felt until yesterday, I almost felt joy.
I was glad I'd had the Great Sage analyze the barrier, even when I thought it was pointless. Everything was connected now, and a possibility of reviving Shion and the others remained.
I received word that the executives had assembled promptly, and I headed to the conference room.
There, three people stood who hadn't been summoned.
The executives seemed unsure how to address them, their faces troubled.
"Boss, I'm sorry about this... I never imagined the homeland would resort to such an atrocity."
Youm bowed his head as he spoke.
Standing beside him, Gruris and Myuran also bowed their heads.
For some reason, Myuran kept her head down and refused to raise it.
I found it curious, but— "Gruris, thank you for getting word to us. I'm glad we were able to rescue Youm.
Now, an important question. There was a barrier in place here preventing monsters from entering or leaving. How did you get in?"
"What—what are you talking about? I'm human..."
"Sorry, but I don't have time for this right now. I know you and Myuran are both Otherworlders."
As if those words had forced her to make a decision, Gruris dropped the act.
Youm didn't seem surprised. He'd probably already been told.
"So you knew, huh... I thought I'd transformed into a perfect human form though...
The barrier—we invalidated it simultaneously, me and Myuran.
I just lent my power though; Myuran basically broke through it on her own."
"That's right. I specialize not only in curses and sorcery but also barrier magic...
I was able to enter without disrupting the flow of power. It was repaired the moment we got in, though...
More importantly, there is something I must apologize to you for."
For the first time, Myuran raised her head and met my eyes.
Something she had to apologize for? I couldn't think of what.
I sipped the tea
"You see, I serve under Demon Lord
Clayman is a Demon Lord also known as the Marionette Master.
I was assigned to spy on this town.
I was reporting the information I gathered here, but one day he said in high spirits, 'I'll release you with my next command!' Clayman has my heart in his grasp—he controls whether I live or die.
So of course I couldn't disobey his orders, but when I heard I'd finally be released...
The final command he gave was..."
According to Youm, the Border Defense Force had received sudden recall orders.
They'd thought it suspicious, but they couldn't refuse an order for a full muster, so they entered the Farmus Kingdom's baronial territory.
Once inside, they noticed that the number of troops was suspiciously large.
The scout's report indicated plans to attack the monster nation.
Realizing it was Rimuru's country, Youm immediately asked Gruris and Myuran to carry messages.
The two newcomers hadn't reported to the baron, so their identities weren't known.
They hadn't been part of the recall order's roster.
Gruris was tasked with delivering a message to Rimuru, and Myuran with delivering one to the town.
If the report had reached Tempest quickly, this tragedy could have been avoided.
But the tragedy had occurred.
Because Myuran hadn't reported it. That was why she was apologizing.
The reason she hadn't reported was because Clayman had ordered her not to.
Apparently, Clayman had said this as his final command: "This is getting interesting! A war between humans and monsters.
It's the ideal development.
Myuran, this is your final command.
Do not deliver any information to the monster town.
Ensure that humans and monsters come to despise each other and are driven toward war!"
His goal was to instigate war.
He called it the final command, but he hadn't returned her heart.
And that was how the current situation had come about.
"Boss! Your anger is justified. But please, forgive Myuran!"
Youm was desperately trying to shield her.
But was it really Youm's fault?
The ones to blame weren't Youm—they were the Farmus Kingdom's ruling council. Or perhaps the King himself.
From Youm's perspective, who had been in an allied relationship, he was tormented by the fact that he hadn't been able to get word to me, but it hadn't been intentional.
He was the type to carry responsibility on his shoulders.
A good guy. That was what I thought.
I stood up and walked naturally toward Youm's group.
Then, in a casual motion, I drove my hand through Myuran's chest.
"BOSS!!!"
I heard Youm's panicked voice, but I ignored it.
Myuran's eyes went wide with shock, and she hung her head in resignation.
The gap in our power was obvious—resistance would have been futile. A wise judgment.
My hand crushed the false heart within Myuran, dispelled the curse, and created a new core.
It was easy now.
Myuran stared up at me, eyes still wide with surprise, frozen in place with a blank expression.
"You're lucky. There's a possibility I can bring Shion and the others back to life.
If you hadn't heard that news first, you'd be dead right now."
"Wha—?"
"They can... come back to life?"
"!?"
I shrugged off the reactions of the three and said: "It's nothing but a possibility. But I'll make it happen."
Right. Failure was absolutely not an option.
"Myuran, now you're free.
Go be with Youm, go wherever you want. It's your life.
But first—tell me everything you know about that bastard Clayman."
Myuran nodded at my words.
And that was how I came to learn about Clayman.
...
...
...
So
Myuran nodded silently in answer to my question.
That guy. I'd already decided to kill him.
Manipulating people, stirring up chaos.
And this time, he'd dragged our town into it and inflicted immense suffering.
Unforgivable.
I listened to what information she had and asked what she planned to do next.
"Well, now that I'm finally free, I think I wouldn't mind being bound for the span of a single short human life."
That was her answer.
Youm's face was flushed crimson.
If the situation were different, I'd congratulate them...
"Understood. Oh, and Youm—there's something I need from you..."
"Just say it! Anything you ask, Boss, I'll take it on!"
Good.
I knew he'd say that.
That had been part of my calculation when I saved Myuran.
I hadn't been this calculating before... but I couldn't afford any more failures.
"Become the King."
I said it as casually as if it were nothing.
Youm gave me a "Huh?" look.
I explained my thinking to everyone.
In short, I was going to kill every last one of the people who had attacked us.
That was non-negotiable.
The next issue was the Farmus Kingdom.
If asked whether I'd kill every citizen—the answer was no, because there was no reason to.
If I didn't have enough sacrifices to become a Demon Lord, I wouldn't hesitate, but this time the incoming army was more than enough.
According to Youm's intelligence, it was a force of over ten thousand.
Relieved—that was the honest truth. It was strange to feel relieved because there were so many enemies, but if killing them was the premise, then the more the merrier at this point.
After annihilating the army and becoming a Demon Lord, what then?
That was the real question.
I'd kill anyone who came to attack, but if possible, I wanted to negotiate a ceasefire somewhere down the line.
However, the current ruling council had to be executed entirely. Responsibility had to be taken.
And if the nation's entire leadership was wiped out, the citizens would be in dire straits.
"See? That's where you come in."
I looked at Youm.
Your role was to purge the rotten leadership. Those who showed up, I'd kill them all—but the cleanup of the filth left behind in the country, I wanted that entrusted to him.
At the same time, he'd unite the citizens and rise up as the new King.
So we could establish diplomatic relations.
"You make it sound so easy... me, a King?"
"It's easy, right? I'm becoming one too. You're coming along for the ride."
Well, I'd be a King of sorts—a Demon Lord, but still.
"Rimuru-sama believes you can do it, Youm.
And I promise to support you, if you're going to live a life full of upheaval."
Myuran's words tipped the scales.
Youm made his decision and nodded to me.
I could get along with this guy.
We shook hands.
We'd hold a full strategy meeting after everything was settled.
First, I had to become a Demon Lord.
I was going to bring Shion and the others back to life.
Once lost, a life never returns.
But Shion and the others weren't lost yet.
There was still a chance.
I was an atheist. I didn't believe in gods. But for now, at least, I would pray.
To the one who governs all miracles.
Hinata would probably dismiss such an act as pointless.
And it probably was.
But while I was praying, it felt like I could believe.
That Shion and the others would be alright.
A small glint of reflected moonlight shone upon me.
That light seemed to gently affirm my prayer.