THE CONGREGATION


    The Kingdom of Farmus was a vast nation, a sort of front door leading to the assorted nations to the west.


    These nations had no direct ties to the Eastern Empire. Instead of official rtions, they had powerful merchants who took it personally upon themselves to distribute in-demand goods between the twonds. Most of this informal trade went through the Armed Nation of Dwargon, which (publicly, at least) was neutral and thus gave their tacit consent to the goods going to and fro between them.


    Part of Farmuss territory was adjacent to the Dwarven Kingdom, meaning that anyone who lived in one of the so-called Western Nations would have to go through Farmus to reach Dwargon. That is, unless they were willing to brave a path through the Forest of Jura. The Farmus path was far safer and more monster-free, and even with the tariffs and fees applied, it still resulted in a more profitable journey. No merchant in their right mind would opt out of it.


    This all meant that not only rare Eastern Empire goods but also high-quality dwarven weapons and armor could be obtained by the Western Nations through the informal trade market with Farmus. It had made Farmuss capital of Marris a well-funded and burgeoning trade city, home to people from all over the world, and earned it the nickname of the front door to the west. It also meant the kingdoms coffers were full to overflowing, both from the taxes charged to traders and the revenues from the more well-heeled merchants, paid in exchange for assorted services.


    Among the nations of the west, it was certainly either the richest or very close to it.


    Nidol Migam, Earl of Migam, was indignant.


    Farmus was, indeed, a rich kingdom, but so much power was tipped toward its central government that practically none of those riches reached the nobility tasked with running its more remote regions. Redistribution of wealth was an alien concept around here, and the earldom of Migam never seemed to see any relief from the taxes they were expected to collect from their citizens.


    As with other nations, they were taxed based on their agricultural harvestsand yet, they were also charged with defending their borders against the threats posted by the forest. That was the current source of the Earl of Migams indignation.


    Have you ever heard something so ridiculous? he spat out, recalling what the finance minister had just told him. Simply remembering it made his blood boil: The Storm Dragon has vanished, and thus, the central governments special support payments will be ending, as of today. And that was thatno back talk allowed. After being summoned to the capital. After being forced to wait for three hours.


    That stipend had been a huge aid to them, certainly. The earlsnds went right up to the Forest of Jura, making it a keystone of Farmuss border defense. But that wasnt just Migams problem. It was a problem that loomed over the entire country.


    And yetof all the patronizing things they could have done!


    Nidol was so angry, he couldnt help but verbalize his thoughts. There was too much to consider. He had to think about how he would keep the earldom going.


    Sealed away or not, Veldora the Storm Dragon was a special S-ranked monster and thus ignored at ones own peril. With the disappearance now public knowledge, it was perhaps understandable that such speciali.e., provisionalsupport payments no longer made sense.


    But the timing couldnt have been worse. The Storm Dragon was just as much a threat to the monsters, tooand no more dragon meant no more overlord to keep them in check. They needed to strengthen their border forces, if anything, for all the new monster activityand then they lost their budget for it.


    That, in a nutshell, was what angered Nidol at the moment.


    The government might have a point, but to the Earl of Migam, that didnt matter.


    How do I protect mynd now?


    Mercenaries cost money. Adventurers from the Free Guild couldnt be trusted, when push came to shove. Now was exactly when the government should be extending a lifeline to him. They were talentless fools,pletely failing to grasp the situation.


    If, heaven forbid, Nidol Migamsnds were swallowed up by hordes of monsters, itd cost Farmus all the trust ced upon it by neighboring countries andrge-scale merchants. It would be the government that would pay the price for that, and right this minute, it was setting itself up for doom.


    The earl continued to curse his superiors under his breath. None of this was his own responsibility. He knew that, but still


    He sighed in his wagon, his mind a tad more settled. No one left but the royal family to press upon  He recalled the face of the king. It filled him with despair. The sheer avarice of that man would never allow him to care about the fate of some patch of frontiernd. It would be sphemy to say that out loud, but those were Nidols honest feelings.


    Without the pretext of the Storm Dragon to prop him up, the Earl of Migam might be forced to raise taxes, even.


    His territory bordered only two other areas: Central Farmus and the forest. There was no reason to prepare for invasion from other countries, and thus no need for a permanent standing army. The earls territorial force, tasked with driving off monsters and magical beasts, numbered no more than a hundred or so knights.


    The number made Nidol wince.


    Technically speaking, the earl had been taking the special stipend and pocketing it. The payments were meant to keep up strict patrols across the border with the Forest of Jura, but in this far-off region with no need for arge army, all they had to worry about was handling monsters. With the rise of the Free Guild over the past decade or so, too, the costs of dispatching monsters had gone down a great deal.


    Thus, this whole disaster was something of aeuppance for the earl himself, payback for failing to enact the measures he should have. He was aware of that, but it was still a bitter pill for Nidol to swallow.


    It all began with a missive from the Western Holy Church. The official announcement that the Storm Dragon had vanished came via magic courier, and it forced the Earl of Migam to take action.


    The Western Holy Church was the state religion of the Holy Empire of Lubelius. It worshipped a single god, Luminus, as its absolute deity, and served as the headquarters of what was generally thergest religion practiced across the Western Nations. This broad faith was for good reasonthere were pdins within their armies, holy knights who each boasted A-ranked powers and beyond, and they were trusted and revered as reliable experts in the ying of monsters.


    The Churchs central creed revolved around eradicating monsters from the world, and thus whenever a smaller nation had an issue with such creatures it couldnt handle alone, the Church would send Crusader pdin forces to aid them.


    Such a virtuous organization, working for the good of the faithful, would never send false information to its people. The Church was already alerting him about monsters growing more active in the forestit had to be true, Nidol concluded. So he reluctantly sought to reinforce his own force of knights. A hundred would be enough to simply patrol the forest, but should the monsters fall out of control, being unprepared for it would be a problem. His knights needed to stay in cethat was his conclusion.


    So citing emergency provisions, he called in retired knights and the like, sessfully beefing up his force to three times its original size. But that still didnt quell his fears. It would take at least ten years, he thought, for a new pecking order to make itself known among the monsters. Relying on retired knights to weather that long, long decade would be tough.


    Requisitioning Free Guild adventurers would ce pressure on his financial affairs. Calling for an emergency draft was ast resort. For now, he would have to hope for a healthy crew of volunteers.


    The adventurers would dly take up a monster-ying role around the forest, but that came at a pricea price that ballooned depending on the danger rank awarded. Having them permanently stationed in Migam was out of the question, but if the worst happened, he still needed to consider tapping their resources. He had already used up most of the governments special stipend, but his earldom was not facing a financial crisis yetfor the most part, those funds went toward his personal entertainment anyway.


    Right now, while the retirees were back on the force, Nidol figured he needed to raise a new generation of young knights at once. It was, he imagined, the best measure he could take at the moment. So he funneled all future special stipend funds into the force, along with some of his own moneyno point scrimping now.


    And it seemed to work. Over time, it seemed like it would alle together. And then the central government summoned him and took his funding away. Who could me Nidol for losing his temper? Not that being azy, embezzling ruler would earn him much sympathy


    In his wagon, as he returned home, Nidol continuously racked his brain, figuring out what he should do next. His mind was full of financial issues. There was no more space in it for the even thornier problems awaiting him soon enough.


    Upon arriving back at his own earldom, the Earl of Migam was greeted by a request from Franz, the local guild master, for a meeting. The earl agreed to it, wanting to discuss how to defend thend going forward, and they arranged a conference the following day.


    The guild master was practically breathing down his neck, pleading that now was no time to act slowly. Franz was usually a calm, even-minded leader, and seeing him in such ather was a concern. It made Nidol fear the worst, so he ignored the usual procedure and immediately gave permission for the meeting.


    This is an unverified report, but it is said that an orc lord has appeared. The next day, Franz offered only a brief hello and told him.


    What did you say? An orc lord?! And what do you mean, unverified?


    It almost made the good earl faint on the spot. This was a serious crisis, and only his rage kept him going as he confronted Franz.


    Unperturbed, Franz continued his report, stating that adventurers from the kingdom of Blumund had heard rumors of the orc lord.


    I would like your help in gauging the nature of this threat. To be exact, I would like you to send out an exploratory force for us.


    There was nothing unusual about this request from the serene guild master to the half-hysterical earl. The Free Guild was not a charity, and it was unaffiliated with any government. They existed in cooperation with, but not within the framework of, the earldom.


    If you would like us to handle this investigation, we could ept that, at a special emergency price


    Silence! You money-grubbing weasel!!


    Look whos talking, Franz thought, remaining silentlyposed. He knew the matter needed looking into either way. Franz had a duty to keep his guild members safe; he wasnt going to expose them to dangerous missions without a suitable reward.


    Normally, monster-hunting requests like this would need to follow a certain procedure. A town or vige would file an official request, providing all the relevant information to the Free Guild. The guild would then use eyewitness ounts and the like to assign a danger level to the monster (or monsters) in question, sometimes sending appropriate personnel to further examine the issue.


    Guild regtions dictated that for particrly dicey jobs, pre-evaluation was even more vital to ensure the right rank was assigned. If you wanted a monster in, you needed several adventurers (guild rules stated three or more) of simr level or higher to tackle it.


    Promotions were awarded to members based on their ability to defeat a given target one-on-one, but based on safety considerations, such duels were not the norm during guild business. This was because even if a group of adventurers went against a monster, if the level disparity was significant, they would most likely be wiped outor at best, eke out a victory at the cost of several deaths and severe injuries to the survivors.


    This all meant that Franz couldnt just throw a posse of brave men and women at a monster the moment it was spotted.


    Normally, theyd have the time to take a more gradual approachbut they were being swamped. Monsters were showing up more and more frequentlytely. The timeg between taking a request, sending people out to handle it, anding back was turning into a problem. There were starting not to be enough adventurers to go around.


    They needed some kind of organization that could patrol the viges, tasked with handling monster duties without having to file a formal request. And they didnt have that, so instead, Franz asked the earl for more intel. It was all perfectly normal.


    Having this situation so politely and thoroughlyid out for him made the earl fall into silence.


    He didnt want to deploy his own knights to keep his own town safe, but he couldnt just leave the countryside viges to fend for themselves. As long as they paid taxes, the earl had a duty to protect them alleven as it squeezed the noose tighter around his neck. Franzs guidance was perfectly logical, and Nidol could mount no objections to it. Thisck of guild personnel was likely the reason Franz requested this meeting in the first ce.


    And what about that orc lord? This beast of a monster that consumes everything ites across? That was nothing to ignore, either. He would have to file a full report with the central government and ask for reinforcementsand as a result, gathering more information was job one. Reliable intelligence was the only thing that would make that bureaucracy take action.


    So an investigation was a mustand an urgent one.


    And another thing, I have another unidentified report, and one I find rather difficult to ry to you Franzs voice was grave as the Earl of Migam fretted over what to do with the expeditionary force.


    His face was embittered enough to make the earl fear the worst.


    Enough bluster. Give it to me.


    My pardons, sir. The orc lords armies reportedly


    His armies?! Hes already built up that much of a force?!


    Yes, I am sad to say. And they are reported to numberapproximately two hundred thousand.


    What? Can you truly be serious?!


    Nidol was shouting at the top of his lungs. It did nothing to affect Franzs facial expression. He was not one to make jokes, and the earl knew this was the truth. But it was tough to take. It was just too far separated from reality.


    And how sure are you about this? he asked, silently praising himself for not fainting on the spot.


    Based on circumstantial evidence, we believe it is quite likely to be the truth.


    Any suggestions on how to deal with it?


    Our only option is to ascertain which direction their armies are going and enact swift evacuation measures


    You want me to abandon this town?


    If you believe you have a chance at victory for yourself, then we will not stop you from pursuing that. But if you ask us to participate in the effort, then Im afraid we cannot ept that without hearing some concrete operational ns.


    All right, Nidol whispered, head hung down. You know thered be no chance anyway.


    In that case, I will leave the expeditionary force deployment in your hands.


    With that final reminder, Franz quickly left the room.


    The Earl of Migam thought for a moment.


    Whether the town would have to be abandoned or not, he had to consider the worst-case scenario. Which meant his knights had to stay put. But they needed that expedition to take ce.


    What should I do?


    It was like all his neglect and mismanagement wasing back to him like a roaring tidal wave. But was there no pointining about it.


    After pondering a few moments, Nidol came up with what he thought was an excellent idea. All he really needed was intelligence on the threat. Perhaps he could deploy a magician versed in teleportation magic, one who could return to town the moment he was finished with his investigation. This sorcerers escort team wouldnt know about their own mission; all they had to do was protect him until they reached the forest. And if he just cobbled together a few of the expendable knights to build this expedition, he should be able to keep the sries he paid to a minimum.


    And if they did manage toe back alive, he could deal with it then. The vital thing was to figure out where the orc lord was going.


    The group that Earl Nidol Migam put together in response to this was called the Frontier Expedition Force. It wasposed of thirty members.


    Inside town was a correctional facility that housed Migams petty criminalsvigers who went into debt and attempted to rob travelers from out of town; rowdies brought into custody for picking fights on the streets. They were usually put to work assisting the knight corps, at times even serving as opponents for the knightsbat drills as part of their corrections. One of these inmates was appointed the leader of the expedition force.


    Nidol wouldnt lose a minutes worth of sleep over their deaths. They were light on his finances, too, as an added bonus.


    That was about all the thought Nidol put into their selection. But the group did not share the earls motives.


    Pfft. That greedy old coot. If its freedom hes giving us, lets ept it with good cheer, eh?


    Such were the feelings of Yohm, the man assigned to lead the thirty miscreants of the Frontier Expedition Force as a coherent unit. His skin was darkly tanned and supple, stretched tightly over his muscles. He was not notably tall, but facing him would still intimidate the casual observer into fearing for his safety. Often, that was all Yohm needed to win the mental battle. This was backed up by his face, which wasnt unattractive, but his guttural, sneering smile made him difficult for anyone to dare approach.


    His talents would seem to indicate a quick promotion from street tough to the boss of one alley gang or another. Instead, Yohm was now leading a force of thirty deep into the Forest of Jura.


    It had been a week since they replenished their supplies at thest vige bordering the forest. Rommel, magician and the earls protg, could feel himself wither around Yohm, as if he had been ced in front of a ferocious man-eating tiger. He could almost feel his knees knocking.


    So what kind of expeditionre we on?


    Im afraid I cant tell you. It is a secret mission.


    Oh-hohh? What kinda nonsense is that yer spoutin, eh? I think you better tell me while Im still askin nicely, know what I mean?


    Im telling the truth! They havent given me any details either, believe me.


    Hmm! I see, I see. Well, fine. They used contractual magic on us to make us follow your orders, but once this is done, weve all been promised our freedom. Right?


    Yes, precisely. The contract that was signed with my client, the Earl of Migam, said exactly that.


    Yeah, and Im tellin ya, man, thats BS! How the hellre we supposed to finish this mission if we dont even know what it is, huh? Bumpin around in the middle of this evil forest You screwed in the head, or what?


    Facing the full brunt of Yohms anger made Rommel feel like hed faint from fear. He understood that his exnation made little sense, but no way could he give them the truth. If he did, hed find it perfectly logical if they killed him where he stood.


    L-listen, we We received a report from the Free Guild that something strange is happening in the forest. So like I told you, our mission is to use this image-capturing magitool to record whats going on, then bring it back to town


    Oh-hohh! So you wanna die, huh? Now I get it. Or do you think some sorcerer off the street like you can take on a pack of natural-born fighters? You dont believe that contract means you get the right to treat us like crap cause we cant do anything, do ya?


    Rommels heart was struck with the distinct sense that this man was serious. The contractual magic meant that he had to follow Rommels orders, but now he was starting to wonder how well that stuff even worked.


    Ah, ahh


    He took a fearful step back, only to suddenly feel something cold upon his neck.


    Ey, boss, wouldnt it be quicker to just kill im?


    A man dressed in ck appeared, as if oozing out from the darkness. He held a knife,pletely ck in color, and it was now squarely against Rommels jugr.


    Not so fast. I wasnt nning to, if he was willing to talk, but


    No! No, wait! Ill tell you everything! Just dont kill me


    Oh yeah? You willing to admit that were here to investigate that orc lord yet?


    Huh?! How did you know that?!


    Ha! What, you think Im an infant or somethin? I got thirty people hereyou thought I didnt have any guild insiders I could swap someone out for? I left you alive so you could undo that contract on us, thats all. So What happens next is up to you, I guess. Whatll it be?


    Rommel, without hesitation, decided to release the contractual magic. He clearly didnt have long to live right now, and Yohms tone of voice indicated that it was best not to defy him too much. Terror gripped Rommels heart to the point that he was willing to do anything Yohm told him.


    Good thing we got a guy here who listens to reason, huh, bro? Forget about being used and abused to death! Now we finally got some real freedom!


    So whatre we gonna do with him?


    Please! Spare me my life, at least!


    Rommels voice was shaky, his face wet with tears, as Yohms men approached him.


    Well, hang on, now. Im sure hes at least got Life Search cast on him. We cant let this magician die without being able to report his mission results.


    Okay, sowhat? If youre sayin we gotta keep watch on im all hours of the day, Id rather just kill the man.


    Rommel barely felt alive as he listened to Yohm argue with his crew.


    Yeah, yeah, hang on. Hes a sorcerer, remember? Maybe hell be able to do a thing or two for us, eh?


    Yes! Yes, I will! Anything!!


    Yep, you hear that? Sides, he did free us from that contract and all. I wouldnt feel all that right about killing im, but whaddaya think?


    Well, still


    I wont tell anyone! I swear I wont tell anyone, believe me! Please!


    Being employed by nobility ever since he graduated from his magic academy, Rommel was not exactly worldly-wise. Yohm never intended to kill him; he just wanted to put him to work. Rommel was too naive to see through that. All he could do was beg Yohm for any type of help he could offer.


    Hey, how bout this, boss? Jagis a mysticist; maybe he could conjure up a spell to put im under our thrall?


    Dahh, no way! At my level, Rommels gonna Resist it for sure.


    I wont! I promise I wont put up any resistance! Please, do it!


    Great. Anyone got any objection to that? Cause personally, I wouldnt mind having him around as our adviser, sort of thing.


    Well do whatever you say, boss!


    If thats what you want, bro, I aint got noints.


    Yohms men said their lines, exactly like they worked it out beforehand. Rommelpletely fell for it, epting the mystic binding spell in an effort to make Yohm believe in him. The ruse fell apart immediately afterward when they all startedughing at him, but for the sorcerer, it was a moot point.


    A moot point, but Rommel still had no issue with it. This street punk, Yohm, exuded a sort of evil maism that was hard to put into words. One that could make any innocent, open-minded young man lose his footing along the way.


    This was the beginning of a truly free Frontier Expedition Forceone free of the Earl of Migams leash and one sporting a sorcerer who would meekly follow Yohm wherever he went.


    Around the time when Rimuru first encountered Benimaru and his nback when they were still merely ogresFuze was sighing as loudly as he could at the three adventurers in front of him. He had sent this trio to figure out what was happening in the Forest of Jura, and the moment they got back, they began telling him the most astounding of tall tales.


    They were Kabal, Elen, and Gidothree talented guild members, all worthy of Fuzes trust. Their ranks were all B, and Fuze knew they were more than up to the challenge that letter came with.


    The first story they had for him was about their final moments with Shizue Izawaa woman Fuze, as well, felt he owed his life to.


    And thats how she summoned Ifrit, only to get swallowed up by the raging beast!


    She probably traveled out of town because she knew that would happen I think she realized she didnt have much time left.


    You said it. And who knows if she ever recovered My guess is that she wouldve been a lot happier with just lying down n dying in her sleep.


    Shizu had been ordered by Heinz, Fuzes father, to apany them on the expedition. She was a hero in Fuzes eyes, as well as a friend he had hunted monsters with, and he was willing to do anything for her. If anything, giving her the ending she wanted filled him with happiness.


    After the expedition was over, Shizu said she intended to travel to the demon lords territory. She had some unfinished business there, apparently, and she insisted upon attending to it. Fuze knew there was no convincing her otherwise. So he decided to help her from behind the scenes, pairing her with three adventurers he nned to send into the forest.


    A pity, then, that they werent with her to the very end. Fuze had no right to criticize them for that. Their mission came first, and Fuze himself had kept her true nature a secret from them.


    But did they really have to leave her under the care of monsters?!


    He had no right to criticize them, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth. Plus, there was so much of their story that he just couldnt ept.


    Shizu was one thing, but their briefing was entirely based on monsters building a town for themselves. A single slime was at the top of the food chain, gathering hobgoblins to construct this towna full-on, sturdily made municipality, just like any human settlement.


    Some of the more intelligent monsters did build smallmunities. Even goblins and other low-end creatures could p together shelters for themselves. So having a settlement or whatnot was nothing to shout about. But this trio was talking about a bunch of monsters clearingnd in the forest, chopping down trees, and using the wood to build homes. They even divided the town into distinct zones, crafting intricate ns about what would be built where.


    The more Fuze heard about it, the more it sounded like a real, full-on town. But it was hard to ept monsters pulling a trick like that. And that slime made him wonder. This creature, apparently named Rimuru, didnt seem like your typical named monster. In fact, all the monsters in this town were named, a situation that turnedmon sense on its ear.


    All this apparently happened after this Rimuru monster appeared. It was too shocking a tale to ignore.


    So after these monsters rescued you, this is the town you were taken to?


    Right. And were talking, you know, several hundred C-ranked monsters living together? There was really nothing we couldve done. I thought I was a goner for sure. And then, they fed us actual cooked meat!


    Mmm, yeah, that was good. I hadnt eaten anything for three whole days, so


    Shocking though their tale was, however, these three buffoons were making it sound like a nice campout in the woods. And after that, Shizu went out of control and Rimuru defeated the magic-born she transformed into. It was all simply beyond belief. Ifrit was a Special Agrade spirit. If something like that went rogue and started attacking, itd be a cmity-ss danger. A nation the size of Blumund would face a truly existential crisis.


    Anda slime, the lowest ss of monster, defeated this?!


    Fuze wanted to shout at them to quit joking, but they all acted dead serious in their report. Between that, the dwarven artisans in town, and the healing potion that took care of even near-lethal injuries, he honestly began to wonder if they had dreamed it all.


    He suspected some form of illusory magic, but that was doubtful. Not as long as Elen was there. Magicians like her had high magical resistance, and anyone who could ovee that with their illusions was a Special A grade in themselves.


    Plus, the equipment the trio had on was some seriouslypelling physical evidence. They had boasted about it to Fuze to no end, but clearly it was of quality make and superior performancea first-ss set. They even possessed an item or two forged by Garm, that most famous of dwarven craftsmen. Fuze could tell they werent fakes.


    Based on that evidence, the story couldnt have been a magic-driven fever dream. It was ridiculous, but he had to ept it as the truth. He had to, but the report left him at a loss.


    How should he even judge this news?


    We had best send someone else to investigate, he decided after a weeks worth of pained deliberation.


    By Kabals description, his team never felt in danger inside this monster town. They hade home with gifts of equipment and healing potion, so that evaluation made sense. That, and after examining all this equipment, they found no curses applied to it and also potion of a better quality than almost anything the local guild had seen.


    Fuze had the equipment returned to themtheyd be constantlyining to him otherwise, and their original gear was all broken into pieces anyway, apparently, which meant they couldnt take any more jobs without it. In exchange, he did collect the remaining potion from them, using it to confirm their story.


    When a painful burn victim came into the guild, he used the potion on him, wondering if itd work as well as Kabal imed it did. In an instant, the blistered skin was healed, without so much as a scar remaining. The sorcerer-doctors at the hospital had seen nothing like itthey swore it was akin to a divine miracle, brought about by the holiest of magic. That bumbling trio wasnt lying after all.


    This town of Rimurus was orderly, popted by monsters that followed the slimes orders. Whats morealthough Fuze couldnt guess at the motivethe slime expressed a desire to visit their own city sometime. Kabal and his friends said he was wee, and should it ever happen, Fuze had already asked the trio to arrange things with him.


    To him, the idea of letting some unknown monster venture into the kingdom of Blumund was outrageous. But defying the will of a monster powerful enough to defeat Ifrit solo would be just as foolish.


    Fuze found himself gued with self-doubt. If I let such a monster into town, I could easily be prosecuted for subversion against the state


    No matter what it tookeven if it meant providing his own funds for the jobhe really had to investigate this in more detail.


    Just as Fuze was fretting over who to select for this new expedition, Kabal and his cohorts came running over with a new problem. He could hear Kabal calling for him in the guild building now. Meeting him without an appointment normally wasnt allowed, but the panicked tone of his shouting gave Fuze pause.


    What is it this time? Is it something to do with that one? he asked inside his secret reception room, pointing out a hooded figure among them.


    We got trouble, Fuze! This guy said theres an orc lord out there!


    An orc lord?! Fuze almost spit his tea out. First Veldora blinking out of existence; then this mystery slime; and now this orc lord. Maybe none of it directly affected Blumund much, but he was aware that monster sightings had been going up in some nearby kingdoms. Fuze suspected it might all be connected, and the thought was draining.


    But the task at hand was the orc lord. Im sorry, but could I ask you who you are? Fuze queried, rposing himself.


    The hooded figure immediately removed his cloak, as if waiting for his cue. Sorry bout that. My names Gobto, and I work under my captain, Gobta. I came here to tell Kabal over there about the orc lord, upon the request of my leader, Sir Rimuru. Then he put his hood back on and sat down again.


    Fuze knew what he saw. That was a monstera hobgoblin. He might resemble a human from far away, but the green twinge to his skin was unmistakable.


    And a named monster, no less  Kabal was telling the truth


    Thisst bit of evidence finally convinced Fuze to believe fully in him. This orc lord report must have been the unvarnished truth as well, then.


    My name is Fuze. I serve as guild master for the Free Guild here in Blumund. Gobto, do you mind if I ask you a question?


    Whats that, sir?


    This Sir Rimuru, your master Why did he want us to know about this?


    Ooh, the rank n file like me dont get told those kinds of things. But he also told me to tell you this: If worsees to worst, we might need to have the humans y the orc lord for us.


    I see


    Thats what he said before going out to face the orc lord. If yask me, Id say the orc lords well n truly dead already, but so be it. I wanted to go in with Gobta, too, but Sir Rimurumanded me personally to travel here instead.


    Gobto must have been fairly peeved about that, if he volunteered that information without being asked. He practically grumbled thest few words out. But Fuze was too thrown by the revtion to pay his tone of voice much mind.


    Wh-what?! The slime, defeating an orc lord? Are you kidding? Wait  Is this slime treating us as insurance? Is that how far ahead hes nned his moves? A monster? Thats ridiculous!


    Fuze tried to process the news though his extreme confusion.


    Kabals group watched on blithely, apparently willing to let Fuze decide whatever he wanted. Fuze didnt appreciate that much, but now was no time toin. He calmed his troubled mind.


    You ask me, though, Kabal volunteered, that orc lords gonna be no match for Rimuru.


    Oh, you said it! He took out Ifrit all by himself. If you let an orc lord mature, it can be pretty bad news, but freshly born? Nah. Its just not enough of a threat for him!


    Not that weve got much to do with it, though


    Hearing the trios uninvitedmentary made Fuze feel like he was about to have a coronary. He summoned up all his spirit, trying his hardest to keep calm as he sized up the situation.


    Between them and Gobto, nobody in the room seemed to doubt Rimurus ultimate victory. That waswell, whatever. The problem was, what was Rimuru thinking at the moment?


    His distinctly unmonsterlike activities stood out in Fuzes mind. Building a town, leading great crowds of monsters, and yet apparently seeking a cooperative rtionship with mankind.


    And thistest development seemed to confirm all that. If he was defeated or thought he couldnt win, Rimuru probably intended to retreat. If the humans werent aware of this before that point, theyd be so unprepared that theyd have no chance against the orc lords armiesthat was the slimes prediction.


    So if he was telling us beforehand to prevent that


    Was Rimuru the slime some kind of special creature? He seemed so to Fuze.


    All right. Thank you for rying the message. Well take action here if ites to it, so could I ask him for his help at that time if need be?


    Understood, sir. Ill be off, then.


    Before anyone could stop him, Gobto was off his seat and out of the rooma dignified, and very unmonsterlike exit. We gotta go, too, Kabal said as he herded his gang out behind him.


    What a crazy scene this is turning into, Fuze whispered as he watched them leave.


    Im not sure I can deal with this guy by myself. Better talk to my friend first


    The image of his good friend, the Baron of Veryard, popped into his mind. This was now a national issue, and Fuze was prepared to tackle it. The expedition he was picturing in his mind would soon be greatly expanded, to the point where it would be a three-month investigation.


    Three monthster, he had his reports. This was right when the demon lord Milim attacked Rimurus city.


    Fuze was there, at the usual spot, having a secret meeting with Baron of Veryard.


    So this is the report from your investigation? Based on the evidence from their march, the force numbered several hundred thousand. That suggests beyond a doubt that it was an orc lord, doesnt it?


    Indeed, Baron. You would never believe how hard it was to ask the king for permission to deploy his intelligence department They certainly came through for us, though.


    Fuzes face contorted in frustration. The conditions required to earn this favor from the king were far from ptable to him.


    Ha-ha-ha, yes, I heard. It seems they have a chair all ready for you in that department, no? I imagine your father would like to hand his position as supervisor over to you sooner rather thanter.


    Dont remind me. I have enough on my te dealing with guild master duties here in town.


    True enough. But thats a discussion for another time. This is some extremely valuable informationa town of monsters, and a slime living there that can ovee an orc lord by force. An orc lord who may have led an army of up to two hundred thousand, no less. And scariest of all, all those surviving orcs simply settled across thend instead of rioting and running roughshod over it. Is it all really true? I mean, I know it is, but I cannot believe any of it.


    Fuze could understand the barons feelings all too well. He felt the same way. He had asked the king to deploy his spies on the assumption that Kabals report and the hobgoblin Gobtos message were entirely true. The resulting intelligence both blew his mind and made him realize Blumund was facing unprecedented danger.


    No adventurer in the world could y an orc lord with an army in the six figures supporting it. Even if they managed some kind of stealth mission to assassinate this nemesis, and even if it worked, that army would go nuts and raze all the nearby viges. Thered be no way to counter that. The national army would be a drop in the bucket, and the knight corps of some tinier kingdom would just be swallowed by the stampeding horde.


    Youre right. Its simply unbelievable. Would monsters take such an intelligent, considered approach to this? And how did they convince that massive army not to riot in the first ce? Did they actually manage to feed that many orcs?


    They must have. Its impossible to ept, but we have to. That slime, Rimuru I think hes saved all of us.


    Yes. Indeed.


    Fuze fell silent for a moment before continuing, trying to gather his thoughts.


    So we have a town of monsters about a two-week journey from Blumund. That much, weve confirmed. They said it was an astonishing example of functional beauty, but they only had the chance to view it from afar. Theyve clearly been at work on a wide swath ofnd around the town, but all of it was still covered under a tightwork of patrols. Even our own agents suggested that infiltration would be difficult at best. Doesnt that tell you a lot about the intelligence level of this towns monsters? And the real question is: How should we handle our own rtionship with them? Should we approach this slime as a benevolent presence or as a potential threat to try to eliminate


    Wait. You speak of eliminating him like it would be simple, but is such a thing even possible?


    Permission to speak freely, sir?


    Go ahead, but I think I already know the answer.


    Heh. Well, its not. Howd you guess?


    Baron Veryard didnt raise an eyebrow. To him, as much as it was to Fuze, that was already a given. They had both concluded that Blumund had no chance of victory alonenot unless the Western Holy Church was willing to expend pdins for the job. Each resident of that monster town was at least a C rank in themselvesas expected, since they were all named. Some were reportedly in B or A territory. Their total war power couldnt even be measured right now.


    Perhaps I should try paying a visit


    Are you volunteering for that, Fuze?


    Sure. I want to measure this Rimuru guy with my own eyes.


    Veryard gave him an approving nod. Hostilities werent anyones first choice, but this was no potential challenger that could be left ignored any longer. Fuze felt the need to judge for himself. Relying on someone else to make that call wouldnt work. That was the best choiceand a choice he could only make because the baron respected him so much.


    Plus


    Yesterdays events made Fuze believe all the more that visiting this slime directly was the best solution.


    He had asked Kabals group to guide him to the monsters town on that same day. While they spoke, they were all approached by another stranger with a message.


    You are Kabal, right? the man asked. I am here to ry a message from Sir Rimuru. The orc lord issue has been resolved. Sorry I forgot to tell you guys! That is all.


    Nobody in the group was more surprised by this sudden intrusion than Fuze. They were all seated in a space inside the Free Guild, a room that took every measure possible against people sneaking in. If this stranger was invited in, that was one thing, but it would have taken unbelievable skill to make ones own way inside.


    Wait! Who are you?


    The blue-haired intruder turned his cold eyes toward Fuze. I am called Soei. Sir Rimuru has appointed me his Covert Agent. He gave the reply softly and steadily,pletely unfazed by the Coercion from Fuze, an A-minus fighter himself.


    Fuze may have felt overwhelmed by this all-powerful presence before him, but he still had the kingdoms intelligence force at his fingertips, and he knew how to use those skills of his. So he decided to gather as much information as he could from Soei.


    Rimuru The leader of the monster town? Why are a bunch of monsters worried about us?


    Heh Havent your friends already told you? Sir Rimuru is exploring ways to live in peace and prosperity with the human race. I am unsure why you are so wary of us, but I would suggest that selecting reconciliation over rejection would be the smarter decision.


    Not even Fuze could hide his surprise at the statement. It meant that his attempts at intelligence gathering werepletely exposed.


    Hoo boy  If this is the level of monster Rimuru has recruited, I simply must meet him soon.


    He could tell that Soei was a monster. Even without the horn on his forehead, the aura was as clear as day. He had no intention of hiding it, but it emitted only a slight amount of magicules. It didnt suggest this creature was anything special, but Fuzes sixth sense was still ringing rm bells. He decided to trust in it.


    I see. So youre on to the fact that weve been investigating you. Well, before that, theres something Id like to ask How did a magic-born of your level infiltrate this town? Because I believe were protected by a barrier that blocks out all monsters ranked A or higher. A high-level magic-born like you shouldnt be anywhere near here.


    As guild master, this was a point Fuze couldnt let slide. Even though it was a short meeting, he was sure this Soei before him was a high-level magic-born, and thus he needed to know how he got past the kingdoms defenses.


    Hmm. Ah yes. I did notice the presence of that barrier, but thats what it was meant for, then? Perhaps Sir Rimuru or Lady Shuna could have identified it as such, but I wasnt able to see quite so much. Thank you for telling mein exchange, I will answer your question. This body is generated by my Replication skill, and thus retains only a tenth of my magical energy. In your ranking system, I imagine it would only manage a B or so. Do you see what I mean? This kingdom truly does have a splendid defensework, but if it is willing to let low-level monsters slide that easily, I can see it still has its holes.


    Fuze listened ck-jawed at Soeis exnation, feeling the cold eyes on him. It sounded true enough to him, and his point was totally valid. With all the effort they expended dealing with hazard-ss A ranks, they had overlooked some of the most basic threatsand it was a monster, a potential target of this system, who had pointed it out to him. A small wonder that it turned Fuzes world upside down.


    Well, if you will excuse me


    Wait!


    As Soei turned to go, Fuze shouted and stopped him. He had just enough time to exin to the monster that he wanted an audience with Rimuru, in the town that he ran.


    I will inform Sir Rimuru, in that case, he said, bringing a close to the days events.


    This was why Fuze was making the journey. Heughed a bit at the position he was indragging the kingdom into this, then dragging himself into the kingdoms work all over again.


    Damn. I didnt intend to serve my kingdom doing this, but


    He might haveined about it, but he liked life in Blumund. He couldnt just abandon it and flee. So he hired Kabals trio as his guides, and they quickly nned the journey to Rimuru, capital of the Jura-Tempest Federation.


    Yohm and his men proceeded through the forest.


    Several days had passed since they had cowed Rommel into submission. They had no need to heed Nidols orders any longer, and yet Yohm insisted on plunging farther into the wood. He had no intention of returning to Migam territoryinstead, he had a different destination in mind.


    Boss, why aint we goin back to town?


    Yeah, Id kinda like to find a girl to sleep with sooner orter


    Shut up, you fools! I dont trust that crafty ol Nidol, but hes still nobility, ysee? We cant beat im in a head-on scuffle. Itd be easy enough to off the bastard, but then well be wanted by all o Farmus. You want the royal knights breathin down our necks? Theyll kill the whole group of us!


    Yeahhh, but


    So where dyou want us to go?


    Oh, now youre askin me? Use your brains a little, guys


    None of them had much in the way of brainpower, so Yohm spelled it out.


    He had a pointeven if they returned to the Earl of Migamsnds, they couldnt expect to ever have a decent living there. Theyd be imprisoned againand indentured into work again. So he thought their best chancesy in other nations.


    Were gonna head for the central part o the forest and find out what this orc lords up to. Then, well travel in whatever directions the safest, and whenever we hit another country, we will settle there.


    But, boss, why do we have to expose ourselves to danger like that first?


    Oh, what, you wussin out on me, you imbecile? The orc lords grown to the point where hes already got an army at his beck and call. What do you thinks gonna happen if we stop in some town and theyre headed straight for it? Well be dead with all the other townspeople, is what. Yeah, its dangerous, but we need more info if we wanna keep ourselves safe, okay?


    Wow. Smart n, bro.


    I got it now, boss!


    Plus, added Rommel, Yohm has no intention of actually engaging in battle. Hell just have me check on where the orc lord army is, then ry that information to the earl.


    Whoa, hang on, Rommel. Whaddaya mean by that?


    This was Kazhil, Yohms right-hand man, who spoke up.


    Rommel was quickly solidifying his position as the groups chief of staffand everyone in the band recognized his extensive knowledge of matters.


    I mean, once we take care of the original job assigned to us, we can make the good earl think we were massacred by the orc lord.


    Wait, so


    We make that old coot think were all dead, then we aint got to worry about his men pursuing us, and if the orc lord decides to hit Migam, Nidol can figure out a way to deal with it himself. Id hate to just let my homnd burn at the orcs hands, so we oughta warn em, at least, yeah? Yohm exined to Kazhil, who was having trouble understanding.


    Quite so. I will tiptoe up to the orcish army and use my magic to detect their activity. Once Ive confirmed where they are headed, I will teleport myself, and only myself, to the earl and report back to him. This is when Ill tell him that you were all vanquished, so no need to worry about that. Besides, if weve gone this far, I might as well collect our pay from him, yes? Then Ill make up an excuse to return here, so do make sure to wait for me.


    The spark of understanding finally began to spread around the band as Rommel went more in-depth.


    Ahh. Now I see. Then we can escape to somewhere safe and start a new life, huh?


    Yep. Exactly.


    Yohms intention was to have the entire band join the local Free Guild or whatever, gaining a little security for themselves. Free Guild identification papers were added to a ledger kept by magic, ensuring they were valid in any nation. Criminal records, meanwhile, werent. It felt like the perfect n to Yohm, but any crimes theymitted after joining the guild would also be marked on their magical records, so theyd have to be careful about that.


    Well, we can think about our next moves once we reach our new homnd. With our numbers, we oughta be able to take on some decent monster runs and live off o that. But before that, we need to make it outta this mess. You hear me? If the orcs stumble upon us all first, were gonna be in deep trouble. Yall keep your eyes open, you got that? With that, Yohm closed the topic.


    First, find the orc lords army. Then, get out safe. They could bitch and moan at one another all they wanted, but one thing was for sure: They could absolutely never let their guards down.


    Several hourster


    The band was on the move, running regr patrol shifts to stay alert.


    They could hear fighting up ahead.


    Boss


    Sshhh!


    Yohm quieted his men down, gesturing them to group together and get into military formation. When they were ready, he waved a hand forward, and they all began to quietly march, weapons in hand and ready for battle.


    Already, they could hear voices from up ahead.


    Whoa! Stop, stop, stop! We go there, were walking right into its trap!


    Butbut I dont think we can win if we keep fighting like this!


    Guys, I can only keep our position here for sowhoa! Look out!


    They could hear all the shrillints above the Ting! Ka-shing! of solid metal shing against metal.


    I swear, you guys Why do you do all this dangerous crap every single time?! How do you even survive, performing all this utter nonsense? I knew I was putting too much faith in you Dah! Elen! Look out! Its headed over there!


    The noise grew louder. They could hear the entire conversation now. They were humans, apparently ambushed by monsters. Several of them, Yohm figured, based on how the sounds of battle never halted for a moment.


    What now, bro?


    Yohm wasnt sure. He didnt answer, instead carefully eyeing the woods ahead.


    He had thirty men under hismand, but by adventurer standards, theyd be a C rank at best. Maybe Kazhil, his partner in crime, could manage a Band Yohm himself, while confident in his strength, didnt have that much experience against monsters. Thinking rationally, they were better off letting them be.


    What a pain in the ass Well, sorry, you guys, but were outta here Wait. That girl?!


    Just was he was prepared to give the order, Yohm spotted a woman running at them from ahead. There was the sound of a female among the voices he heard; it must have been one of the fighters.


    Dehh! All of you, prepare for battle. That bitch spotted us!


    Yohms Farsight skill let him see the situation clearly. Arge male fighter was using his shield to fend off an attack from a spider, but it got sent flying after one strike made it through his parrying.


    The spider, opting not to pursue its opponent, changed its focus to the woman some distance behind. It must have been intelligent enough to leave the tougher, dicier foes forter. And indeed, the woman was quick and unerring in her movesthe moment the spider was upon her, she was already fleeing.


    Truly, a seasoned adventurer. Yohm took a moment to marvel at the sightlong enough for one of the spiders eyes to focus squarely upon his group. This spider chasing the girl was a true monster, its body protected by an exoskeleton harder than steel that defended almost everything except its joints. It could move all those many joints freely and easily, making it far quicker than any human. Each leg was as sharp as the keenest of des, ready to slice through any tree trunk or human torso. They werent swords so much as retractable spears.


    It was likely the boss of the local territory, and between its foreboding appearance and its apparent strength, it was a far cry from any monster Yohms band had defeated before.


    Those adventurers look pretty expert, so theyll probably hold out for now, but attritions gonna kill em in the end  That swordsmans still keeping things pretty even, but


    All the same, Yohm didnt expect this to end well for any of them.


    That Thats a knight spider! An A-minus monster! Oh no Yohm, theres no way we can defeat it. Lets go! Were just no match for it!!


    Rommel, using the elemental magic spell irvoyance, was already looking pallid as he gave the report to his boss.


    Yohm wasnt interested in listening. Forget it. Look at that monster move. It can use the trees to go wherever it wants. Once that partys annihted, were gonna be nextitll hunt us down in an instant and kill us all. Running at full speed aint gonna save us now, huh?


    He had no knowledge about knight spiders, but Yohm was still coolheaded enough to instinctively feel what this monster meant. Those instincts told him that fleeing was not in the cards. So he decided to fight back.


    They were surrounded by treestrees that the spider could cross more quickly than skittering across the ground to catch its prey. Once it caught sight of you, it was all but hopeless. These were the knight spiders hunting grounds, and Yohms men were the hapless prey. The only way to survive was to y the foethat offered the only potential for survival they had.


    Yohm steeled himself. Dammit, Ill make you pay for dragging us into this, ya bastards! Rommel, cast some strengthening magic on me! Kazhil, you direct our men! Form a circle, and if anyones hurt, change em out. Youre all gonna survive! Thats an order!


    Following hismand, the band formed a circle formation. In the middle were healers and scoutsmen not suited for battleand Rommel. The rest were forming a shield to protect them. Their orders were to focus exclusively on defense and notunch any attack. Instead, they would let the fighters in the safe zone deal damage with arrows and magic.


    The scouts readied their bows, waiting for the knight spiders advance, as Rommel began to cast a spell. It involved several inscription magics, something he normally never used, as he set about boosting Yohms strength. There was the supplemental magic spell Strength, along with Agility, Protection, and Reinforce Weaponall serving to power up every aspect of his weapons and armor, granting him a great deal more force. It didnt make them any less anxious about his chances against a knight spider, but it helped.


    Still, Yohms heart was serene as he stared the spider down. In a moment, the battle was under way.


    The woman truly had no shame, showing zero hesitation as she made a beeline straight for Yohms band.


    Excuse meeee! she shouted as she wriggled her way inside the circle, not bothering to ask for permission. The moment she was safe, she took a moment to catch her breath.


    Shes got a lot of nerve, Yohm thought.


    Whoa! Lady! Thats not fair, going in alone!


    Somewhere amid the chaos, another mana thief, by the looks of ithad made his way inside as well. Not a moment off their guard, Yohm thought as he rolled his eyes, but he had other things to attend to.


    Oh,e on Are you in any position to whine at me? the woman said.


    Whaddaya want from me? Theres nothing I can do against that guy! How am I supposed to strike any kind of lethal blow with a dagger, I ask you?


    This pair, at least, didnt seem too concerned about the danger.


    Geh. Ill settle things with youter, Yohm said as turned toward the spider and swung his greatsword at it. He preferred wielding a two-handed weapon like this in ce of carrying a shield. It was a good six and a half feet long, ded on both sides, and the force behind its weight made it a fearsome shing weapon. That weight also made it extremely hard to handle, but even without magical enhancements, he had the brute strength and ability to easily heft the greatsword to and fro.


    Now he was using that magic support to whip the giant hunk of iron around like a steel demon.


    Hard, solid noise surrounded him, and the tortuous nggggg irritated his nerves. It was the sound of Yohms sword smashing against the knight spiders leg. It should have been cut cleanly in half, but the exoskeleton was more than capable of resisting this force.


    He groaned. Geh. Damn, its tough. Is that what all that sound was before? Then he changed position, hoping to divert the spider from his partys circle formation. The spider followed, predictably enough, then attempted to spear Yohm with several legs at once. Unfazed, he danced his way through the attacksthe same ones therge fighter parried with his shield earlier. Without any kind of shield, Yohm opted to wend his way through the stabbing legs instead.


    For what seemed like forever, Yohm continually deflected the knight spiders strikes. It was never-ending for Yohm but a mere instant in reality. Several legs grazed past his cheek, dug into his side, pricked at his legs, but none of the strikes affected the battle.


    He had dodged them and as he had the spiders attention, the man with the shield, along with a lightly equipped swordsman, were back in the battle, equipped with a new set of magical enhancements and ready to fight again.


    Sorry we got you into this. Im Kabal. You can whine at meter.


    No time for details. Just call me Fuze for now.


    Yohm. My bands nothing but a drag on us, I guess. Well have to take care of this ourselves.


    Got it.


    With that short conversation, the three refocused on the attack. They each moved to surround the knight spider, restricting its movements, taking turns to attract its attention while the others hit at it.


    Faced with this steel-like exoskeleton, no pedestrian attack would cut it. Yohms men understood that; none dared any foolish moves. If they failed and a pincer felled one of them, the results would be too terrible to look at.


    They knew their role was not to drag down their leader. They believed Yohm could win, and in the meantime, they reinforced their defenses.


    The magicians Elen and Rommel were each preparing their trademark spells.


    As a sorcerer, Elens specialty was elemental magic, granting her ess to arge swath of damage-dealing offensive spells. But she was positioned poorly for that. All the trees surrounding them made the most powerful of her me-based magic out of the question. Magic was all about picturing what you wanted to happen, allowing the caster to change the nature of their spells to some extentbut attempting to corral white-hot me was a tall order.


    But right now


    Lets see how you like one of my strongest moves! Stone Shot!!


    In a moment, Elen had converted the stones on the ground into lethal bullets, infusing them with yet more magic force to summon a punishing, coordinated rain of ammunition upon the knight spider. Every magic-enhanced stone bullet was the size of a human fist, and based on its speed and mass, each one delivered several tons worth of force. It was a merciless, punishing magical rain.


    Meanwhile, the three fighters were still taking turns to confront the knight spiderYohm deflecting its strikes with his greatsword, Fuze with his smaller, nimbler sword, and Kabal with his shield. This is what the spider had to deal with as it was pelted by magical bullets from all directionsbut none even dented its exoskeleton. They all bounced harmlessly off, knocking the creature slightly off-bnce for an instant but doing little else.


    Aw That was my killer move, toooo


    The sight of her killer move failing after she used most of her remaining magic force on it astounded Elen. She had already tried out Icicle Lance and Windcutter, and the results were simrly pitiful. Really, thest finisher she had left was also her strongest Fireball.


    Its hardly a surprise, Rommelmented. This knight spider is a local boss-ss monster, rank A-minus. We can expect it to have a lot of magical resistance. Given how its the apex predator around this area, youd have to expect at least this much strength. Itll be hard for any of us tond a convincing blow at our levels


    Okay, so now what do we do?


    Rommel shrugged at Elen. Nothing left but to help them with support magic, I suppose.


    Elen tried to counter this brief assessment. But faced with the reality that none of her magic worked, she gave up. She had a feeling, without even trying it out, that Fireball would meet the same fate.


    Oh, all riiiight! I hate not being in the spotlight and using stuff like thisbut Ive got Magic Barrier on me.


    Rommel nodded. As a sorcerer himself, he had several inscription magics at his disposal. Those were what he had used on Yohm, and the other two fighters were already enhanced enough.


    The enemys offense is so strong that it just peels away any magic effects on them. Its over if they break their weapons, so its all I can do to keep just Reinforce Weapon going. If you can fully focus on building that Magic Barrier at all times, thatll help us out.


    All right!


    Elen adjusted her outlook on the battle. She couldnt deal magic damage, so she was stuck with a support role insteada role she happened to be first-ss at. Calcting her remaining magical force and recovery skills, she distributed her magic as needed for the battle at hand, and Rommel did the same by her side.


    It wasnt shy, but it was a consistent approach to magical support as they concentrated on keeping the aid flowing to Yohm, Fuze, and Kabal. He may have said just Reinforce Weapon, but he still managed to keep his other spells going as well without interruption.


    It was an impressive, top-level feat from Rommel, the result of him perhaps toughening up a bit and sowing the seeds of his own magical talents during the past few days with Yohm.


    The performance lit a fire in Elen. Not bad. Better not lose the spotlight to him! Now, she didnt mind the role so much. Not shy, but absolutely important.


    Meanwhile, the knight spider and its opponents continued to trade blows with one another, the sheer, wearying intensity of the confrontation not allowing them rest for a single moment. Even in such extreme conditions, the three were still shing bold, intrepid smiles.


    YoKabal, yeah? That armor of yours sure is toughern my cheap piece of junk.


    Heh-heh! Yeah, Ill bet, huh? This was crafted by Garm himself, you know! It aint no ordinary piece of scale mail!


    Huh. Garm the dwarven armorsmith? Dang, no wonder. It looked like you took a couple direct stabs, and yer none the worse for it!


    Oof, you saw that? Thats embarrassing. Well, I may not look it, but


    Will you two take this more seriously, please?! Stop chatting while its my turn to distract him!


    Fuze couldnt help but lecture the other two as they enjoyed a lively bragging contest better suited for a tavern. They both grinned, like students being admonished by their teacher.


    Im up next, old man.


    With an exaggerated sh, Yohm tagged in for Fuze. The magical light surrounding him, slightly dimmed just a moment ago, was now bright once more. He was ready.


    The rotation of magical support was being timed perfectly with their own juggling act, as if all five had been working together for years. Very few could have guessed they were fighting in this group for the first time.


    Thanks, Fuze shouted, leaving the heavy lifting to Yohm. Dodging his way through the knight spiders string of stabs, he felt exhausted, his very nerves worn to the core. But he never griped about it. He was the oldest and most experienced man in the circle.


    By the guilds rankings, he was an A-minus adventurer. His position as Blumunds guild master meant he was no longer on the front lines, but he never stopped honing himselfthe reason he was still able to keep up with this spiders movements.


    But Im definitely losing my edge. I couldve taken this guy solo way back when, but not now. All Im doing is buying us just a small sliver of time


    Still, he was the great natural talent among the trio surrounding his foe right now.


    And because of that, Fuze could predict how this would turn out.


    This isnt good


    Sooner orter, they would falter.


    With the right magic, tackling a monster stronger than you would be feasible enough. Here, that wasnt working out. Knight spiders were too resistant to magic, requiring punishing physical damage instead. Fuze understood that, out of this group, only the three of them were gifted enough melee fighters to deal out that kind of damage. Yohms men werent up to snuff.


    So it was all up to these three men, but after ten or so minutes of battle, they had hurt the spider only a tiny amount. None were seriously injured yet, but they couldnt hide their umted fatigue. Gaining another fighter in Yohm, along with some much-needed magical support, was what allowed them to even tread water.


    Oh, man, I dunno


    Pfft! Quit your cryin! Youre the ones who roped me into this! Were all gonna get killed if we cant do this guy in, so if you got breath left to bitch at me, move yourself!


    When Kabal muttered to himself, Yohmunched into a tirade.


    They all understood that perfectly well. Without any really decisive magic that worked, they knew that beating it with their own muscle was next to impossible.


    But giving up was a one-way ticket to death.


    They all drummed up as much courage as they could, continually throwing themselves into the all-but-desperate battle.


    Then they heard another voice. One much more rxed.


    Huh? Ooh! Hey, is that you, Kabal? Whoa, long time no see! And youre fighting a monster like always, too, huh? You sure must like fighting.


    They were being greeted by five monsters riding wolf-type creaturesa toon of goblin riders, led by Gobta.


    Just as they were about to return from their usual patrol, they heard the sounds of battle from before. Gobchi, the eye-patch-wearing assistant to Gobta, noticed first.


    Gobta, I can hear fighting from somewhere.


    The toon captain was pretending to ignore the noise, hoping for a nice, chill ride back to town, but his team was having none of it.


    I guess so, huh? Should we go check it out?


    Ooh, well, Id say thats a good idea, yes. Dont want to be yelled atter, do ya?


    Yeah, yeah Lets just check up on it, then.


    Following Gobchis advice, the toon headed toward the sounds.


    And then


    Gobta found a couple of familiar-looking faces fighting a knight spider.


    Whoa! Damn, its you, Gobta! Dont just stand there like an ass; help us out! Were running out of time!


    Kabal sounded quite a bit more harried than Gobta, dodging the spiders sharp barrage of strikes as he shouted. He was inly near the end of his rope, simply letting the multi-leg attacks he couldnt fully parry bash against his armor. It wouldnt be long before that armor gave wayand with it, his life, perhaps.


    Ooh, thats Fuze, isnt it? Hey! Fuze! Its me, Gobto!


    You too, Gobto?! Hurry up and take my ce!!


    Just as Gobto spotted Fuze and called out in greeting, Kabal was the one who shouted back as the spider flicked his helmet off his head for him.


    Well, all right. Ill take over for Kabal. Gobchi, you get everyone else to distract the spider!


    At Gobtas orders, the toon began to move.


    Nimbly dismounting his starwolf, Gobta strode over to follow Kabals lead as the other goblin riders directed their partners to divert their foes attention. The wolves attacked with their sharp fangs and their ws, and while neither found any y on its hard exoskeleton, their speed outssed the spiders, letting them take a secure stick-and-move approach.


    The B-ranked starwolves couldnt scratch a knight spider, but in terms of agility, they were an even match. So giving up on the direct approach, they shifted styles so their hobgoblin partners would take over on offense. Thanks to the able hands of Gobchi and the rest of Gobtas crew, this let them slowly pile on damage.


    Dang, those spears of theirs are sharp. It looks like they can lengthen and shorten them at will, too.


    They are. And theyre a measure sharpern my greatsword, even. Maybe we coulda had a fightin chance if I had somethin like that, eh?


    Kabal muttered in wonder as he took a break to heal himself, and Yohm appeared beside him to take a break as well.


    I just cant believe this. What are those wolves? Some kinda mutant from ck wolves or gray wolves? And why do a bunch of hobgoblins have such incredible weapons, too? And whyre they so strong?!


    Fuze picked this moment to join them, still panting for breath and taken aback. Neither of hispanions had a ready answer, so they settled down and began to watch.


    Considering the brutal battle theyd just waged, it was hard to imagine what they were seeing now. The goblin riders were boldly attacking, or seemed to be anywayalthough they appeared to be giving themselves a fairlyrge safety margin. None of them were damaged. Meanwhile, Gobta was the only one confronting the knight spider on foot, leaping this way and that to attract his foes attention. He didnt have to fight for it. It seemed like he had a full grasp on every twitch of the spiders legs.


    Man That hobgoblin Gobta, he said? Who the hells he, huh? And, like, even before that Yohm cut himself off.


    There was a lot he wanted to ask, but he resisted. Now wasnt the time. He wanted to catch every moment of this battle while itsted.


    Gobta busied himself with twisting, bounding, and dodging the spiders attack. Hmm. Kinda slow. Compared to the wringer Hakuro puts me through, this is easy peasy.


    Taking a closer look at the spider, he realized that it always stopped moving for a moment before unleashing one of its leg-pincerbos. The multi-leg attacks followed a set rhythm as well, making it simple to predict where they would stab next.


    Okay, lets get this over n done with!


    With a single, spirited shout, he removed the shortsword from his waist and, with pinpoint uracy, shed at a small wound made by one of his goblin riders. One of the spiders long, spear-like legs arced through the sky. It was sliced cleanly from its body.


    Dang!


    Whoa, Gobta! Thats incredible!


    Now thats a shortsword. I think Im in love with how it cuts!


    Gobta wasnt one to ignore all the praise from his friends. It was forged by Kurobe for him, thanks to Rimurus promise. It was certainly no bargain-basement item from the local weapon shopit was a masterpiece of a de, crafted to be as sharp as possible.


    It was also magic, imbued with a certain extra-effect thanks to Rimurus Deviant unique skill. When Gobta willed it in his mind, the de would encase itself in ice, turning it into a jagged, frigid de that could also beunched as an Icicle Lance. Gobta didnt invoke it here; using magic took up a massive amount of his own magicules, so he couldnt just whip it out on a whim. Kurobe had reminded him time and time again about how his ace in the hole should only be used when the time was right, and he followed that advice faithfully, never wasting his arsenal.


    Besides, now he had a weapon even more effective than an Icicle Lance.


    This is even better!


    He held the sheath for the de up high, still clenched in his left hand. He didnt mean to sound like a braggart, but he undoubtedly looked it.


    A sheath?


    Instead of answering Gidos question, Gobta made his move. He pointed the sheath at the spider, hole first. The next moment, it emitted a sort of ckish-red glow.


    The entire inside of the scabbard was lined with magisteel, with insted electric wire wrapped around it like a solenoid. Energizing this wire with Dark Thunderthe skill that Deviant had granted itcreated a powerful maic field, which thenunched the bullet at the bottom of the scabbard out of the hole. A sort of coilgun, in other words.


    It was called the Case Cannon, and while Rimuru had made it mostly for fun, Gobta was a huge fan.


    The scabbard ejected a hunk of iron around two centimeters across. It made no sound, but the effects were dramatic. The spider writhed in intense pain, its mouth shivering and gnashing. The resulting otherworldly noises sounded like pure anguish. And why not? The shot had gouged out or ttened several of its eyes, which were now spurting out jets of blue liquid.


    Yow! That was great, Gobta! one of the other goblins whooped.


    The humans, meanwhile, had nothing to say. Not even Fuze could fully parse what had happened.


    What the hell was that?! he stammered out.


    Gobta had other things on his mind.


    Well, were gonna have one heck of a feast today! Theres gotta be some great eatin on this spider!


    His eyes were on the knight spidernot as a foe but as a yummy piece of prey.


    Whoa, whoa, thats an A-minus area boss! And youre worried about eating it?!


    Fuze was ignored once more, his voice rapidly losing its strength. His mind had trouble keeping up with the sights before him. All he could do was sit there and watch absentmindedly.


    Yohm and his men were just the same, gazing at this former clear and present danger to their lives that had been swatted down like a bug. Yohm didnt like that much, although he couldnt articte why. A natural sort of disappointment spread across his face as the five goblin riders ignored him and kept toying with the spider.


    A few minutester, the humans were presented with a dissected knight spider.


    Gobta was next to it, looking incredibly pleased with himself and chatting with someone via Thought Communication.


    Theyll have a recovery team here before too long. You leave three of us here to stand guard. Ill guide Kabal and his friends back to town.


    Got it. Be careful.


    After finishing the conversation, he briefly discussed with his right-hand man, Gobchi.


    Well, ready to go?


    And with that cheery question, Kabal and the others set off.


    Fuze was too bbergasted, Kabals gang too overjoyed, and Yohm too annoyed to formte any answers.


    It was up to Yohms band to shout their approval instead. They werent quite sure how it all worked out, but regardless, they were all on their way to Tempest, thend of monsters.


    Gobta certainly sounded triumphant in his briefing.


    We were at the usual meeting hall, Milim seated next to me like she had somehow earned the right. Shion and Soei were behind us, with Rigurd and Benimaru seated ahead.


    Next to Gobta were Kabal, his two friends, and an unfamiliar middle-aged guy. He was joined by a tanned, rugged-looking man and a fairly nervous-looking magician type. Shuna had just taken her own seat, ordering one of her assistants to bring out tea for the group, and then Gobta began talking.


    Once he finished, we all decided to introduce one another. The middle-aged guy was Fuze, the top guy at the guild in the kingdom of Blumund. Mustve been the dude who told Soei he wanted an audience with me.


    The tanned guy waswell, pretty handsome. Not as much as Benimaru or Soei, but he had smooth, taut muscles and a wild look about him that mustve floored em at the tavern. His name was Yohm, and he called himself the captain of the Frontier Expedition Force, sent out by one of the earls in the kingdom of Farmus. The thin, flinchy guy next to him really was a magician, as it turned outRommel was his name, and judging by the looks of things, he was the brains to Yohms brawn.


    Once they all gave their names, I decided to give mine.


    Guess I better speak up, too. My name is Rimuru Tempest, and Im the leader of this town, or nation, or whatever you wanna call it. The Jura-Tempest Federation is the official name for it. And as you can see, Im totally a slime!


    It felt necessary to mention that, given how I was the only nonhuman in the room. It made the older guyFuze, I meanopen his eyes wide.


    Truly, a slime?


    He seemed to know at least a bit about me, but I guess I shouldve expected him to be a little shocked. If it didnt personally happen to me, I guess Id have trouble believing that a slime was going around acting like the king of his little nation of monsters.


    So, uh, Rimuru, Kabal asked, whore all the new faces in the room? He mustve meant the ogre mages. I gave them all an intro. That just left Milim, who spoke up before I had a chance to point her out.


    And Im Milim. Good to meet ya!


    A pretty casual intro, especially for a demon lord prone to bouts of cruelty like she was. Hopefully nobody was fooled by the pretty face.


    Fuze was the only one to respond to the name Milim with any sort of suspicion; maybe he knew about her demon lord side. Kabal and Gido, meanwhile, were alternating their gazes between Shuna and Shion. Milim mightve been cute, but they mustve already dismissed her as too much of a child. They certainly are honest to themselves, at least.


    Yohm and Fuze must not have been too interested in potential romanceor maybe they were just nervous, having to deal with monsters like this. Their faces remained stony serious. I wish Kabal and his gang could learn from them a bit. I can understand how they feel.


    It was odd, though. Gobta ran down the whole story for me, but I still didnt understand anything about what went on. Why were Fuze and Yohm fighting together?


    Just as I thought it, Fuze opened his mouth.


    Allow me to exin, perhaps


    He must have noticed that Gobtas report wasnt quite enough. d to see someone has some tact around here. Witnessing my slime form mustve thrown him off a bit, but he was still being remarkably polite with me. Better hear him out.


    Once he was done, I think I began to get the idea. I guess the orc lord news had sparked so much chaos that he decided to have Kabal guide him here to check things out for himself.


    Rommel provided some supplementary info of his own, too. He wasrgely in the same boat, driven by the guild in Earl Nidol Migams fief in response to the rumors spreading across Blumund. The magician told me everything he seemed to know about Nidols thoughts on the matter, and judging by that, he had a pretty urate grasp of what was going on.


    Why are you being so honest with me? I asked.


    To which he replied, Well, to be frank, Im really not sure what I should be doing here, right now. I just figured, you know, honesty would be the best policy, as we try to move things forward.


    I solemnly nodded at him. That sure helps me, too.


    Suddenly, the previously silent and sullen Yohm shouted out, like someone had flipped a switch. That crap doesnt matter! What Im wonderin is: Why is this slime actin like hes king of the world around here? I mean, yall realize this is insane, dont you? And how do slimes even talk anyway? I mean, what the hell? Whys he got all you guys under his spell or whatever?


    How dare you be so rude! Shion roared.


    You shut up, woman! Yohm shouted back.


    Ooh. Bad move, I thoughtbut before I could even finish that thought, there was a dull thud as Shion used her sheathed longsword to send Yohm crashing to the ground.


    Ah! Im sorry, I just


    You just what?!


    I should have expected it, but I really need to do something about Shions temper. Yohm may have been out of line, but this instantaneous resorting to violence had to be addressed sooner orter. I immediately had her look after Yohmshe hadnt put much force into it, so at least he wasnt dead. A few shakes of healing potion, and he woke right back up.


    He winced at the sight of Shion looking right down at him, but otherwise returned without a word to his seat. I had to hand it to him. It took a lot of guts to pull that off.


    Sorry about Shion there. She tends to lose her patience a lot. I hope youll forgive her.


    Yohm noddedIm sure very reluctantly.


    But that was so terrible! Im known for my endurance under fire, you know! That was news to me. I figured it was safe to ignore her babbling.


    Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Losing your patience, huh? I see youve got a lot to learn, Shion. You need to broaden your horizons, like I have! No wonder youre so hot-tempered!


    I felt like I could hear Milim happily blurting out something like that, but Im sure I was imagining it. No doubt it was thest thing Shion wanted to hear from her.


    But anyway.


    It was time to put all these reports together.


    Fuze was here because he heard about this mystery slimei.e., meand wanted to get to the bottom of it. Figuring out whether I was friend or foe was his main priority.


    The very idea of monsters creating towns Ah, pardon me. I can understand demi-humans building settlements well enough, but a town where multiple races live together? Ive never heard of such a thing. I have a habit of not fully believing something unless I witness it with my own eyes, you see. And if this whole story was true, I wanted to figure out how we would interact with it, and how much. The reports I received told me thisnd wasnt a threatbut I thought ascertaining for myself would be the best move. So thats what brings me here. I was hoping youll permit me to stay a while so I can survey the entirety of your operations.


    It made sense to me. Id hate to be feared as a potential threat, so I readily gave him permission.


    I also gave him my own outlook. Being guild master suggested Fuze was in a fairly high positiona man of influence, perhaps, in Blumund. Being able to speak frankly with someone like him, and request their cooperation, sounded like a good idea to me.


    You might not believe it, I exined, but Id really like to be friends with the humans. I already told Kabal and his friends about that. Im not asking for it immediately, but you know, I think itd be nice if we could start engaging in trade or some other kind of interaction. Weve already opened formal rtions with the Dwarven Kingdom along those lines, which youre free to confirm for yourself. I think your merchants would find it pretty convenient if they could run caravans through this area, but what do you think?


    Hang on I mean, please, just one moment. You mean the Armed Nation of Dwargon?! I know that is a neutral kingdom, one that had close rtions with many demi-human racesbut youre saying its recognized thisnd of monsters as a nation? Because I find that extremely hard to believe


    I had asked him to trust in me, but he was proving a tough nut to crack. So I called for Vester as a witness. It turns out Fuze was familiar with him.


    Minister Vester! Or not anymore, I suppose. But regardless, I never imagined meeting someone of your stature here Is all of this true?


    Ah, well met, Sir Fuze! It has been quite a while, hasnt it? Well, you are correct. Through a rather unique turn of events, I am now living quite peacefully in thisnd. Everything Sir Rimuru has told you is the truthKing Gazel and Sir Rimuru signed the covenant themselves.


    The conversation wended its way across a few other topics, but I still had the impression Fuze thought he was dreaming all of it. Maybe the idea of monsters banding together and establishing a nation was a little too wild for just anyone in this world to start believing yet.


    Yohms motives, meanwhile, were a bit moreplex.


    He and his band of men intended to fake their own deaths in order to gain their freedom. They were seeking asylum in some safer country than their own, where they intended to join the local Free Guild. They also intended to inform Earl Nidol Migamthe greedy old fox, as they called himabout what they found in here. This wasnt out of any love for the earl, but so they could potentially save as many of their fellow countrymen as they could. A man of honor, certainly, no matter what his looks and attitude suggested. Rommel had grown to like him, inlyto the point that he betrayed Nidol, his benefactor, to be Yohms top aide.


    Hearing all this made me think a bit.


    All right, soFuze, people already know around your kingdom that the orc lord was defeated, right?


    No Only the king and a few select people are aware.


    And that meant


    Okay. So, Yohm, wanna forge a contract with me?


    Huh? What the hellre youerm, how do you mean, sir?


    Now both Shion and Shuna were ring at him. They must not have liked that tone of voice. Maybe itd be kinder of me to pretend not to notice.


    Well, to put it simply


    To put it simply, Yohm and his band of thirty men would be the saviors of the day, the yers of the orc lord.


    That monster was well and truly defeated, and yet Fuze still eyed me with suspicionbecause I was a slime, a monster. In that case, why dont we frame the rumors wed spread so that I merely cooperated with Yohm, and he was the one who pulled off the feat?


    Thered be a few unnatural time-rted contradictions to that story, but the general public didnt need to know all the details. If the top brass who did know the truth were willing to keep mum, the regr Joes out there could work out the rest of the tale for themselves. As for the surviving orcs, we could say that there was a mutiny in the army, and there you go. A nice, simple storyand easy to believe, as long as that two-hundred-thousand figure didnt get mentioned.


    Meanwhile, I couldve helped Yohm with supplies, armor, what have you, instead of directly participating inbat. That way, I could establish myself as this really helpful, trustworthy slime who gave our man of the hour material support, right? That, I figured, would paint me in a better light than being this mystery threat of a monster to everyone.


    Thats the basic idea of it, but what do you think?


    Our guests were dead silent. Too frozen to react. Kabal and his friends, meanwhile, were so lost in this conversation that they had decided to sit there and enjoy their tea instead.


    Compared to that, Benimaru and Shuna were thoughtfully nodding, impressed at the idea. Milim and Shion were all smiles and puffed-out chests, but Im not so sure they understood me.


    Milim had nothing to do with this anyway. Shes behaving, at least, but maybe I should give her some honey before she gets bored and starts wreaking havoc somewhere else.


    Who do you think I am? Well, all right. Ill take this.


    She dly epted the jar of honey I presented to her. Shion shed a jealous look at her, butwell, sorry, none for you.


    Wait Wait, wait, waitwhat kind of idea is that?! What do you mean, what do you think?!


    Come on. Me, beating that guy? You want me to be some fairy-tale hero or somethin?


    Fuze and Yohm were protesting in stereo. I didnt expect them to be very amenable to it at first. That reaction was a given.


    Whoa! No hero stuff. Thats someone special, so you cant just call anyone that. Being a heroes with a lot of baggage from the past. Just call yourself achampion instead, Milim replied.


    Hmm. Interesting. So just like with demon lords, people didnt take kindly to guys dering themselves heroes with a capital H. Hero, champion, whateverI wanted Yohm to be that for me.


    Thats not the problem, you little brat! Besides


    Thud!!


    A cold wind drifted across the hall.


    Hey!! I shouted.


    Lady Milim Shion seemed like she wanted to say something.


    W-wait! No! This isnt my fault!


    Milim was already in a panic. I hadnt said anything yet, but already she was nearly in tears.


    I dont want to hear any excuses, Milim. But this is yourst chance, all right?


    All right. Believe in me, Rimuru! Milim swore to behave, nodding fervently.


    I felt kind of bad for our new champion here, but really, this was Milims fault. Spoiling her would do nothing good for me, so I gave her the scolding she deserved. Shion, for her part, smiled a littlejust deserts for what happened to her earlier, maybe. I resisted the urge to remind her she was in the same boat. Hopefully she got the message well enough without that.


    Milim? I feel like Ive heard that name before.


    Uh-oh. Fuzes eyebrows furrowed at the mention of Milims name. He hadnt identified her yet, but I needed to stay on guard. This demon lord was a lot more famous than I gave her credit for, I guess.


    Lets, um, dodge that question for now.


    Well, uh, is Yohm all right?


    I was worried. That was quite a thud Id heard.


    Yes, Sir Rimuru. Ive already administered the potion, Shuna reported with a smile, just as Yohm himself woke up.


    Nngh What What just?


    He was still a bit confused, but nothing was wrong with him. Getting beaten by Shion and Milim in rapid session like that made me marvel at his natural toughness. That potions some hot stuff, but he deserved credit for surviving at all.


    Um, Rimuruyeah? Well, all right. Ill do whatcha say. All these menaces to society you got servin ya, I gotta admityoure one hell of a slime. From now on, as far as Im concerned, Im all yours, pal. Tell me whatcha want.


    It was a surprise, hearing that the moment he got his marbles together. I didnt like how we more or less had to beat it out of him, but if that convinced him, there was no need to browbeat him about it.


    Yeah, sure thing. And thanks. I nodded at him in agreement.


    We were now together, and the whole event was enough to make Fuze forget all about Milim. In that case, I have no objections about working with you on this, too. However, would you mind if I made absolutely sure, first, that you are on the side of the human race?


    Mm? Okay. Thats fair enough.


    And now Fuze was with me, too.


    Fuze was kind enough to work with a friend of his, the Baron of Veryard, to smooth things over with the king of Blumund. As he did, I worked out the exact sort of rumors we needed to spread around the local nations, adjusting the little details to match with the plotline I came up with. Soon, we were in contact with every Free Guild in the area.


    In exchange, I offered Fuze preferential treatment for some of the merchantsing from Blumund. Any merchants affiliated with the Free Guild there would be allowed to stay at Rimuru, capital of the Jura-Tempest Federation. For now, we werent charging any tariffsthat could be discussed among us once they trusted us well enough and we opened a bit more formal diplomacy. I had no idea what we should charge anyway. Im not a politician; I cant calcte stuff like that. I may have acted all kingly and magnanimous about it, but seriously, I was sweating bullets inside.


    This meant that any merchants who work through the Blumund guild would get a pretty damn good deal until I worked all of that outand part of that consideration would go back to Fuzes pocket.


    How long would it take for Blumund to trust in us as a fellow nation, though? Not very long, perhaps, or maybe never, even after several decades. I was prepared to wait them out, and in the meantime, I could at least prepare to enact some official ties.


    Wed need to build that trust first, but at the same time, wed need to figure out how much of a tax would be appropriate. Itd have to be cheaper than Farmus, of course, and itd be important to boost our amenities and spread the word on our safety record. We hadnt finished up our trading roads yet, so any tariffs could probably wait until that was all wrapped up.


    There was still a ton of work to do, but at least things were settled between ourselves and Fuze. And Blumund was a small countrythe rise of a nation with trade routes and a friendly leader offering them held major meaning. If we could toss guaranteed safety across the entire region into the mix, Blumund could stand to make a major profit from it. If they could trust us enough tomit, that is.


    Now, to let Fuze bring that offer home ande back with a more detailed report. I couldnt say how it would turn out, but I had to hope things would go in a more positive direction from now on.


    As for Yohm and his band, they would be staying here for a while.


    If he was going to be our orc lordying champion, he needed to look the part. Hakuro was probably training him hard right then.


    The man had a decent amount of natural talent, but not quite enough strength to be the stuff of legend. Just giving him some big, long weapon to carry turned him into a different man, but wed need more than that. Instead of just relying on his physical strength and instincts for battle, Hakuro thought, hed need to have control over some arts as well.


    Equipping him wasnt a problem. We just happened to have raw materials from a recently pummeled knight spider on hand, and I figured we could use those to give him the best weapon and armor he ever saw. Until that was taken care of, his training would focus more on his body and mind.


    In battle, there were three things that mattered: speed, offense, and defense. That applied even if you brought magic into the mixthat could always be countered with magic defensespiritual resistance. The Free Guild based its ranks off the aggregate of those three elements, which meant that simply finding some better weapons and armor would be enough to boost your rating.


    In that way of thinking, the materials we used in thepleted equipment were top-of-the-line. Knight spiders, at the end of it, were not that terribly fast. It might seem otherwise, given how they could attack with multiple legs at once, but keep your wits about you, and it bes clear that they arent moving too nimbly. That was in, given how the B-rated Kabal and Gobta more than held their own against itI was starting to peg Gobta as more of an A-minus, but regardless.


    The knight spider earned its own A-minus mainly thanks to its exoskeleton. Its strength came from how incredibly solid that was, as well as its ability to inflict serious damage even by grazing its opponents. Which meant


    Whoa, Rimuru You sure yer okay with me havin equipment like this, pal?


    Yohm seemed honestly touched as he took in his new exoskeleton-crafted armor. It was a full-te suit, mottled in three different colorsa dark brown as the base, with a unique pattern of green and red on top. It almost looked like a work of art. I called it the Exo-Armor.


    He was surprised all over again when he picked up the chest piece.


    Man. So light, too


    Of course it was. Compared to regr armor, which took a shirt of chain mail and added metal ting to all the most vulnerable areas, a suit of full-te armor was ponderously heavy. They defended you well, but at the cost of all mobility, so normally you never saw them in action.


    This Exo-Armor, meanwhile, used no metal, making it rtively lighter than steelthe key to its weight advantage. Sticky Steel Thread lined the inside in a mesh formation, keeping the wearer safe against heat or cold. The exoskeleton itself boasted superior defense against magic and physical attack, and with the thread reinforcement, it easily shrugged off your garden-variety magic and melee strikessomething wed already proven in our experiments.


    In a nutshell, it offered more durability than full-te mail at a third of the weight. I couldnt say how it felt on a monster whose muscr strength outssed any humans, but for Yohm, it was the best armor in the world.


    Yep. Garm put his heart and soul into this. He bragged that itd fetch a price higher than any Unique piece of gear if we put it on the market.


    M-more than a Unique?!


    Like, the kind of thing an adventurer spends ten years or so savin up for? How top-end are we talkin, pal?!


    The news came as a major shock to Yohm.


    Just as adventurers were ranked, weapons and armor received their own ratings.


    The type of thing youd find regrly at shops was Normal. If it performed a little better or had magic effects applied, it was rated Specialworth a lot but still rtively essible to the average consumer. In a world like this, where death was always lurking around the corner, you wanted the best equipment you could afford, so most adventurers hit the road with a full array of Special equipment.


    However, even this stuff was still nothingpared to a top-shelf piece of work, crafted by a master forger and priced as such. The kind of broken-stat weapon or armor that boosted the wearers rank the moment he or she grabbed it. This kind of first-grade stuff was rated Rare, and amassing a full set of Rare gear was something of a status symbol in adventuring circles. Anyone who managed the feat was revered and respected as a person who could get the job done. The armor Garm crafted was all Rare pieces, and that was why Kabal and his crew were so overjoyed to receive it.


    And at the very top, there was a level even above this highest of levelsequipment with world-shattering performance. Exquisite pieces made by old masters from only the best materials, taking no ount of matters like production cost and profit. These were called Unique. Weaponsmiths in therger cities would decorate their shop walls with these for advertising purposes; nobility would store them with tender care as family heirlooms. They were the best of the best, and there werent many such pieces around, only adding to their rarity value.


    As an example, these sorts of Unique items were equipped by every member of Gazels personal friends, along with his Pegasus Knights. The pride of a nation of craftsmen, one could say. Money and materials were no object with their top-caliber equipment, honing an even sharper edge to their world-beating war power. Hell, no wonder theyre so strong, I had thought to myself when I learned about it.


    Boosting their talents with weapons and armor were one way humans handled monsters, which I had noint about. But it had to suck for the monsters felled by such overpowered equipment.


    It follows that we wanted to y that same game with our own stuff.


    Based on that, again, Yohms shock was understandable. The greatsword he wielded was all scratched up, even chipped in ces; it was no longer useful. Kurobe had prepared another weapon in its ce, and it was another masterpiece.


    This was a Dragonyer, a type of greatsword that could hold its own againstrge-size magical creatures. It didnt have a curve to it, unlike therger battle swords the ogre mages had; it was more of a Western-style dual-edged de. One edge was sharpened to a shine, dedicated to slicing and dicing, while the other was solidly reinforced, making it more of a crushing weapon.


    Given Yohms shield-free fighting approach, I figured hed find that easier to handle than hisst weapon. The way he stared at the Dragonyer in his hands and murmured Look at this thing suggested he was happy with it. Good.


    As a Kurobe creation, the Dragonyer was another Unique piece. With the right technique, it had the power to slice through even a knight spiders exoskeleton. If you ask me, those two pieces alone just made Yohms power zoom up to A-minus rank.


    It sounded a bit like cheating, relying on equipment to boost your strength. But I let it slide. You needed technique to make the most of it anyway.


    Yohm, to his credit, had grown strong enough to truly be worthy of owning this stuff. I hadnt given him anything except food and a ce to sleep, and he had noint about that. I did hear him scream in pain and call Hakuro a demon and all kinds of other colorful things, but nothing about my treatment, at least.


    He was under contract to work with me, after all, and I gave him some pretty nifty equipment, so I figured I was fine.


    If I can be honest for a moment, I almost hesitated to let him have it all. Unique items were a rarity in this world, and I wasnt wholly sure I wanted ours to flow into the hands of outsiders. Ultimately, though, I decided that if he had champion-level equipment, thatd make my story all the more convincing.


    He was training hard in this town, his talents now noticeably improved. He didnt look out of ce at all in his Exo-Armor. A little bit more work on him, and nobody would ever doubt for a moment that Yohm slew the orc lord.


    The days of training continued for Yohm.


    His weapon and armor wereplete, but I decided that his band had better get equipped, too. Id need to invest in them a little if I wanted them to help me outter. Hakuro would hammer them all into shape, too, so it should help them ability-wise. Plus, itd give even more weight to the tale of this great champion and his stalwart band of supporters.


    Of course, they were after more than just nice equipment. Apparently, they were enjoying life here in the city as well. I didnt mind at all. They were working hard for me.


    What I had to offer them was scale armor dyed a fresh, bright-greenthepleted version of the test piece I gave to Kabal. For the lighter-equipped thieves and the like in their crew, I had a few sets of red-colored hard-leather armor built. Both colors were a nice match for Yohms own Exo-Armor.


    You Youre even giving this amazing armor to me?


    This armor didnt offer much against melee attacks, but it was pretty darn resistant to magic. All I wanted was for Rommel not to look out of ce as the champions personal sorcerer, but Im d he apparently liked it so much. Besides, this was about all I could do for him. Magic isnt something you can train your body for the way Yohm trained with Hakuro; the rest would be up to Rommel himself.


    I also handed him a copy of ourmunication crystal. Itd be a pain if we couldnt stay in contact, and luckily for us, he just happened to be a magic user. That oughta make things easier.


    After preparing and presenting this equipment, I had Rommel go back to Blumund. There, I wanted him to spread the word (and exaggerate a bit) about how the mighty Yohm and his men gave the orc lord a swift and fatal whipping. He said he had no interest in living there again, eitheras he put it, being the earls magician mainly just meant being assigned all kinds of potentially lethal tasks. Once he received his payment, he pledged to stick with Yohm from now on.


    This earl, Nidol Migam, sure didnt sound like he was much good at all. He put his personal fortunes above those of his people, he was greedy, and he treated his own staff poorly. Considering the high taxes he charged the local peasants, he certainly didnt devote much of it to territorial security. Given he dealt with issues only after they popped up like that, no wonder his people relied so much on the Free Guild.


    Hes the worst bastard you ever did meet. Eh, not that were angels ourselves, but he takes the cake! Yohm practically spat at me.


    The trope of a wicked, greedy nobleman was a familiar one in the stories I read, but when one was actively affecting your real life, nothing could be more depressing.


    But if anything, that was good for me. I could have Yohm return home a champion, one who protected all of Migam. Hed go from vige to vige, allowing the locals to skip all the guild bureaucracy. He wouldnt work for free, of coursethe vige would simply submit theirpleted monster-ying job papers to the guild, and he could get paid through the earlter. No way would he, nor anyone else, want to serve Nidol for free.


    The arrangement would benefit us both, but its biggest merit was boosting Yohms reputation as a champion. Hed earn the thanks of whomever he saved, and stories of his strength and sincerity would spread across thend. That, in turn, would boost the rep of the monsters who supported himi.e., us.


    Plying his trade across the viges wouldnt be easy, but keeping his base of operations here, in Rimuru, would simplify a lot of things. Amunication crystal could be activated by any of the shamans that every vige had at least one or two of, so I decided to pass a whole bunch of copied crystals around. I could essentially duplicate them for free, thanks to the Great Sages backup. That was just a matter of processing the magic stones from monsters and crystallizing them to a high enough purity. I kept that a secret, since word going around seemed like itde back to bite me.


    These crystals could always be stolen, of course, and there wasnt much I could do about that. That was each viges problem, and I didnt see the need to babysit them that much. Itd be part of their normal lives to tackle, so they could handle it for themselves.


    So taking in feedback from Rigurd and the ogre mages, we gradually sorted out the details behind Operation: Make Yohm a Champion. We may have had a contract, but he wasnt exactly my underlingon the surface, we were working cooperatively with each other. Which was great, because it meant I didnt have to pay him a sry. Really, we still didnt have any outside currency, so if anything I oughta be charging him rent.


    No point being so miserly, though. That was why I gave him room and board for free.


    Another motivation of mine, speaking of this town, was that I wanted to advertise this ce. I had heard about how people who have it tough in their local vige head for the big city to try to make a living. Why note here instead? I wasnt expecting humans and monsters to be arm in arm overnight, but again, I was thinking long-term.


    Several weekster, all of Yohms equipment was ready. We finally had his horses and hismunication crystals. Rounding up thirty-one wild unicorns was a huge ordeal, though. B-plus magical beasts, every one of them. Strong.


    But this wasnt the ouw band from before. Hakuro had trained Yohm and his men up to the point where they were almost unrecognizable from a few weeks back. None were going to faint at the sight of a magic creature any longer. You could rely on these guys nowand with their brand-new equipment on, they had the air of brave, battle-proven warriors. More than worthy of apanying a champion.


    Well, its been fun, pal. Well see you for now, Rimuru!


    And with that, Yohm set off, promising to use this town as a base for their future activities.