The night Before
Along with the freed elves, rare monsters continued to stream into the city. Considering the quality of
their mounts, they must have been treated reasonably well. I guess their captors never intended to
enter open hostilities against us. I mean, if you think about it, even the elf chiefs " whose plight began
all of this " were without a single injury. I would imagine they meticulously nned their action intending
not to kill a single "person". The elves, based on their magic capacity are rank C~B beings, but many
among them can use magic. So their rank does not disy their strength"a rather dangerous bunch.
No matter how meticulous their nning, to capture ten elves without a single injury, is a real testimony
to the hunters'' strength. Assuming there were a few of them, I''d imagine they are at least A ranked. I
should think about this some moreter. That is, I can hardly underestimate an underground
organization abundant with such individuals. My heart tightened watching the monster ves'' parade.
.
One of the Cerberus'' Bosses"Damrada. As the one responsible for the monster''s return, he rode into
the city among them. Of course, his actual goal was to gain entry into the "jewel" called Tempest. But,
thanks to an inspection upon entrance, and ban on illegal immigration, entry into the country was not
easy to acquire. A guild card would have allowed entry. However, anyone else would have to enter by
an invitation. The country has not yetpletely developed, so we could hardly let just anyone in. The
refugees pouring into our country are staying in inns we had just finished. And we''re quickly putting
them to work as builders or cleaning staff. That aside,
Damrada ran up to greet me with a wide smile on his face. After just a single nce at the city, with a
nod full of admiration,
[It has been a long time, Demon Lord Rimuru-sama. This unworthy one is named Damrada. On this
day, as we had promised, we are returning the captured monsters. We are deeply grateful for
permitting entry into your country]
He bowed in respect. As always, he is extremely well dressed, nor is he gaudy.
[Yeah. Seems like you have treated my subjects well. You have my thanks. Since you have fulfilled
your part of the promise, let''s forget about this incident. But you do understand that I will not allow this
to happen again, right?]
[Hahaha, of course. You are hardly an opponent I would want to risk my life going against]
Damrada intended topletely erase any traces of hostility using that short exchange. We, too, would
rather avoid a war of attrition with this organization. I mean, we''d crush them if we fought head on, but
there are many nasty things they could do from the shadows. And considering that I had just
proimed myself as a benevolent demon lord by freeing the Temrs, I would rather not waste that
effort. These guys just intend to gain my favor. What good is it to pointlessly antagonize them? Well,
next time they get in my way, I will destroy them.
[By the way, a little bird whispered this to me... but it seems you are holding a tournament? We couldn''t
possibly obtain the right to observe it?]
Damrada asked me with a natural smile. Isn''t he eager to analyze our strength. Well, I don''t mind. I
mean, unting our ability was the goal. But, I can''t let him have it for free, can I?
[You have my permission. You have permission to remain here until the tournament beings as well]
[Oh, how great is your benevolence! In that case...]
[But, have your strongest man participate. I''d love to see what he''s like. I mean, we''ll be seeing each
other often from now on, right?]
I replied with a smile. He came here trying to gain my favor. There''s no way he can refuse. As I
thought. He hesitated a bit, but
[As expected of a demon lord, everything has a price. Understood. In that case, this individual...]
Material ? N?velDrama.Org.
He called forth a young individual. I looked at the youth, and then again at Damrada.
[Damrada, you will participate. You are the strongest among these, aren''t you?]
We stared at each other for a second, and,
[You got me. Wonderfully done. You have seen through it all. In that case, I have no choice but to
participate. I will be in your care both as a participant and as an observer.]
[Yeah, our future rtions will depend on your performance. So I suggest you try real hard]
Damrada bowed again and left. As I thought, he really is the strongest among them. Though he doesn''t
look like it, his strength is obvious to those who can truly see. And thus, our participant list increased
again. It wouldn''t be fun to have a battle only among our friends. This should spice things up a bit. And
if things get reallypetitive, maybe we''ll see Damrada''s true strength. Martial Arts Tournament. I can
hardly wait!
* * *
Ramiris and Veldora were having fun inside the dungeon. Nor was the sight of Milim flying through the
sky dragging dragons into the dungeon a rare sight. Things were the same as always. There were
constant reports of their loudughter disturbing people, but we decided to ignore those reports. As for
the invitation letters, Myormiles has selected the individuals to invite and sent the letters out.
Communication is important. So I introduced Souei to Myormiles and had him help with the
Myormiles''munications team. Since he is just so good at handling people, they have quickly
opened up to him. I''m really d they aren''t looking down on him.
So I can probably leave all that to them. ording to Myormiles, the nobles have arge entourage of
mercenaries and adventurers they employ. In other words, if we make them believe there''s some great
benefit for clearing thebyrinth, we can harvest loads of money off of them. And we can probably have
a few nobles be our sponsors. Which would also advance our ns to reuse the arena another
step. Though when I say "reuse" I do mean it in a limited sense"up to four times a year. Other times we
can use it for training or something. But a sponsor, huh? Well done Myormiles, thinking that far ahead. I
had thought only about the money that could be made off of adventurers, and worried about those who
would lose themselves in it. And that''s where sponsors woulde in handy. So maybe we should fill
the dungeon with hidden riches that, like a lottery, would reward a few individuals. To make money on
those who like to gamble, of course. Maybe have rare items as rewards? Well, Myormiles suggested
that we make a request to the Freedom Association.
[Can we make this request of them?]
[Of course. A reward of 1,000 gold coins for he who would clear a hundred floors. And that''s
impossible, I take it? Of course, the number of challengers will decrease due to your notori... fame...
But even so, the word on the street is "Dungeon of dragons. Is there an adventurer who could defeat a
dragon? Even the knights would find it difficult" they say. So those eating the nobles'' scraps say. Which
is why I think it''s a good idea to offer avish reward. But, in order to make them think we really intend
to pay them this reward, I propose we offer other rewards depending on floor reached. A single gold
coin for reaching the 10th floor. 3 gold coins for reaching the 30th floor. Something like that. Maybe
even rewards for record time to a save point?]
[Hahaha. An advertisement that would draw people in despite me being a demon lord! Well done,
Myormiles, well done. So, will we award only a few people? Or all of them?]
[I was thinking the first five every month. If they are in a party, they''ll just have to split the profit. And if
we award them once a month, that will encourage them topete even more]
I see. If we award the first individuals to reach the target, it won''t hurt our budget and encourage
participation. What a wonderful n. No one will clear it, and even if they do, it''s no problem. A trifling
sum like a thousand gold coins we can earn very quickly. What a wonderful idea this has be.
[Myormiles-kun, proceed just as you have spoken!]
[Ay, I live to serve!]
Myormiles'' n requires me to contact every country and look into the list of adventurers. There''s also
the question of entrance into the dungeon. Adventurers can easily enter using their association cards,
and we can manage the information hosted on those. As for those without guild membership, we can
issue home made cards. I have already consulted Kaijin on that question. This way, we''ll be able to
control the ess and information of every single person. Entrance into thebyrinth is 3 silver coins
per go. We''ll issue the first card for free. If that gets lost or destroyed, the second one is 10 silver coins.
We''ll also let them sample a resurrection bracelet by letting them have one for free. Of course, first
entry into the dungeon is also free. And resurrection is certainly important. Afterwards, we''ll sell the
bracelets at two silver pieces each, and, considering their importance, I expect to sell a lot. We''ll also
have to make sure to announce the dangers of entering the dungeon without such a bracelet. Though
they have only themselves to me for their death, I would rather avoid victims. On another note, we
have also decided to lease weapons and armours. This was my idea and I''m going to have Kurobee
supervise it. Well, I don''t know how this will turn out, but I''m expecting to make a fortune. I can''t wait to
open the dungeon!
* * *
Myormiles is working hard on advertising the Dungeon and the Martial Arts tournament. However, the
tournament is more important. The dungeon is nearingpletion and we are nning to advertise it
at the same time as the tournament. And we are putting in lots of effort into the main attraction"the
tournament. I have not forgotten about it. But, considering that the tournament will be (more or less) a
one time event, we can''t help but divert our attention to the dungeon, which will be a long term cash
cow. Well, with the deadline approaching, I guess we have to start getting serious now. Myormiles is so
busy with management that they basically don''t rest. At the moment, since we have only begun to
receive responses to our invitations, we do not know how many attendees we are going to get.
Simrly, although not every tribe chief has reported their intent to participate, it seems we are going to
get quite a few folks. But let''s forget about this for now, and focus seriously on the tournament.
First, let''s go over the participating members. From Tempest, we have all the department heads:
Benimaru, Diablo, Ranga, Souei, Shion, Hakurou, Gerudo, Gabil, and Gobuta. Those nine. They are
the cause of this mess"the nine who dered intent to participate at the banquet. I wonder who''s the
strongest among them? I would guess Diablo, but things might go differently in the tournament. What,
are you wondering whether the restoration medicine will prevent them from tiring? Boo, wrong! After all,
it does not restore magic energy. So if you don''t pace yourself, life will get real toughter on. So we
really don''t know how things will end until, well, the end. And then they bickered about the order, which
led me to propose round of robinpetition... well, it''s all a pain. We also decided to have four prize
spots. The problem is, we had too few participants. I mean, it would have been better if there were
eight participants"we were one too many. So, and to rile them up a bit, I decided to further split the
groups and turn this into an elimination tournament with 16 participants. Which, of course, required me
to find them.
So I turned to our sponsors (the demon lords).
[Me~ me~! My Beretta is ready to go!]
That''s one.
As expected.
[Fu fu fu. I have been waiting for you to ask! I''ll have my underling participate!]
"The mysterious masked one, wearer of the lion''s mask!" Milim dered, and rushed off. Well... I kind
of figured who will be participating on her behalf. Will it be fine? I mean, the level here is pretty high but
this might be overkill. As for the other demon lords, I am not that friendly with them, so that''s that.
Then there''s the reward of past negotiation"Damrada. He and his group are out and about enjoying the
city, having rented out the best inn. There''s no question about it"they''re loaded. And they understand
the important of getting the best rooms before the royalty shows up. That guy is, without question,
strong. Will he fight until exhaustion or feign weakness, I can hardly wait to see. So that''s another fun
factor we added.
With that, we need just four more. I guess we could turn it into four directional battle royale. And when I
thought that,
[Rimuru-san, did you call?]
I heard a voice. Nope, I did not call you. Who was it? The Temrs'' strongest man"Arnaud Baumann.
[What''s up, Arnaud?]
[Fufu, I would like to participate in the tournament you''ve got going. I''ve been trained by Hakurou-san
here recently. So I would definitely like to participate.]
Is it fine? cking off here. I wanted to say it, but since Hinata went off back to the capital, I had no
one toin to. Eight temrs remained. I had asked them help set up a barrier, but I guess that
they don''t mind having Arnaud participate. And since there''s so few of us, I guess we have no choice
but to let weaker members participate. That leaves us with three vacant spots.
[In that case, I''ll have you participate. But if you suck, you do realize other countries will be watching,
right?]
[No problem. Temrs don''t know defeat!]
Where''s that confidenceing from? From the new swords and armor crafted by Kurobee? I mean,
yeah, these are test products improving even the spirit equipment they were. And, as test products, we
can''t mass produce them. But... I am so sure that it''s the armor that is making him confident. Well, I
don''t care if he dies from embarrassment, nor will I be liable for it.
[Alright, but do wear a mask. You''ll stand out, are you fine with that?]
We''ve got the Lion Mask participating already, so surely they''d much rather participate this way than as
temrs.
[Got it. We''ll wear a mask just in case. Thank you for allowing us to participate[
"Losing would be bad," Arnaud muttered and left. He''s plenty confident. And considering that he had
his heart broken once by Diablo, he''s a pretty tough guy. That, or just an idiot. But thank goodness he
did not fight against Diablo right away. Seriously.
Alright, three spots left. The other spots we''ll fill in as we go. From among the intelligent beasts and
monsters of Jura forest. Not the cattle, but those individuals who want to distinguish themselves. We''ll
have them fight for the remaining three spots. Oh, who will be victorious? Order aside, it''s about time I
decide on the prize"a special post. Victory or defeat will decide whether they will continue being called
department heads. After all, the winner will be the own on whom I''ll bestow a title upon which the
masses will depend. Therefore, it''s about time I think about hierarchy around here.
* * *
The day before the tournament. The representatives of many races have arrived by now. The earliest
arrivals began a week prior. Along with the letters I had sent, Myormiles invited a number of wealthy
merchants to revel in the fun. Those visitors who havee here before proudly showed neers
around. It was a truly entertaining sights"to see so many races and monarchs enjoy our country. So far,
everything''s going ording to n. On that note, I would like to say that the number of guests has
already reached 3,000. We do have the capability of hosting up to ten thousandmoners, but 3,000
is the limit for high ss housing. And just when I was beset by worry, Myormiles was on the case.
Without a single blunder he had assigned everyone to various inns. Of course, Rigurdo and Rigur and
the other workers of Tempest also disyedmendable efforts and skill. And thanks to all of their
hard work, we were able to wee the day before the tournament without any major urrence.
And so, the night before. The leaders of countries had all gathered in therge conference room. The
eve of the festival. Sitting on my tatami mat, I observed everyone''s rxed faces. The baths were a
huge sess, with some people taking a bath more than once a day. We provided them all with a
yukata, and they are now busymenting on how they look. So far so good. Their escorts have
decided to alternate guard outside, and have since stood at attention. Like the professionals they are,
they heavily scrutinized the food I ordered to be brought in. Probably fearing poison. Well, considering
that if I wanted to poison them I could just use force... but, let''s avoid that topic.
[Hmph, thank you all foring today. I am the new demon lord, Rimuru. I would like to have tonight
be a small wee, and so would like to have you partake of Tempest''s cuisine. Pardon my inept
speech. Let us begin!]
There are many who would like to speak to me face to face, but they''ll have to do that afterwards. Most
of their gazes are curious. There were some who paled when I called myself a demon lord, and others''
faces lit up. I''m not good at handling this kind of stuff, which is why I decided on a simple greeting
banquet. That''s when food started to be brought out. Well, will they like it? This time, sushi. And
sashimi with tempura. The fish is fresh. I mean, I went to get it myself. Without caring about what I
caught, I swallowed it all, and removed the poison. I also learned to move around in the water better.
But, I should leave this kind of work to people from now on. Hakurou handled the fish with excellent
skill. Using the knife Kurobee forged, he dissected all of it in a split second. Shuna as well handled the
fish wonderfully. Hakurou also packed the rice. What a unexpected skill he has. Apparently, he learned
how to do that from the previous generation. So does that mean that the dragon yer was a world
traveler from the Edo period? But somehow the times periods don''t fit well... Well, what do I care?
Shion also wanted to help but decided to abstain this time around. I mean, obviously. We can''t possibly
bring out unpleasant looking food to rulers. That''d be bad even as a joke. The problem is, soy sauce.
Somehow, we were able to create a soy sauce substitute. I do think the color is wrong, and though the
taste is a bit off, it should be fine. Wasabi we had. But first timers might not handle it well, so we
decided to make sushi without it this time. All the preparations are set. Food reflects the hospitality of
the soul. I hope they''ll see my intentions.
And thus began the banquet. The first outcries were heard when we started pouring cold beer. To those
poor souls who have never had properly carbonated cold beer, our product must have been a real
surprise. And it also has to be cold. It has to be served in cold transparent sses"that is the nature of
Japanese service. Even I can''tpromise on the point. The elf waitress was going around pouring
the alcohol. No, I did not force her to do it! She volunteered... Overall, this was a great sess. When
she bows with her hands in front of her it... lights up a man''s heart. There''s people whose faces are red
even though they haven''t drunk that much. After all, breasts and yukata. Fufufu... all ording to n.
And thus, the banquet continued. Seems like it will finish without a problem. Studying the fish in front of
me, I can''t help but marvel at the design of the cut. Of course, I immediately ate some of it. By no
means was it bad. This fish was around A ranked... and while some of it looked hardly appetizing, that
does not affect its taste. The guests had their magicians assess the food for poison and hesitantly put it
in their mouth. Well, as innders that they are, they probably never had the chance to eat raw fish
before. After all, the carriage is the problem. Other than being able to carry a limited amount, even the
extremely rich would not be able to eat the fish raw. Oh, and of course they really liked it. So everything
went ording to n. "See what you can eat if you deal with us?" That''s the kind of message I want
them to get from this. That''s one of the reasons I''m doing all of this. Not just to unt my wealth. I am
not just a selfish individual, I am also opportunistic! That''s how it is.
And thus the banquet (a.k.a. publicity stunt) concluded without an incident.
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