The biting evening wind swept across the endless dense forest of the Jura Great Forest.
Within the vast sea of trees echoed the howls of monsters, rising and falling from distant to near. The occasional thunderous beastly roar spoke of the killing intent and danger surging beneath the rolling green waves of the night.
The moonless, windy darkness seemed to foreshadow an approaching storm.
"Chase them! Those damned adventurers! We must kill them today! If they ruin His Majesty Edmaris' grand plan, I'll have them executed by the harshest punishment!"
"Captain, we can't keep chasing! Going deeper will alert the monsters. We should regroup with the main force..."
"Damn it! Retreat then. The main army is already in position anyway... they're all going to die..."
Faint voices drifted through the forest, accompanied by the clanking of armor. Mixed within were other sounds: monsters being slain, shrubs cut down and trampled beneath heavy footsteps.
On the packed earth road leading toward the central city of the Jura-Tempest Federation—rustle, rustle...
"Finally shook them off. Trying to chase me? I'd run you to death first."
Under the sparse moonlight, a wide-bladed greatsword pushed aside the bushes. Amid scattered footsteps, several people supported exhausted companions. A rugged man covered in dust and branches, looking rather disheveled but with fierce eyes, let out a long breath as he looked toward the end of the road.
In the moonlight, the man wore crimson carapace-scale armor. His exposed muscular body was tanned to a tea-brown color, arms thick with muscle. Though not particularly tall, he looked solid and sturdy, carrying a roguish aura that made him hard to ignore.
"Rimuru boss' town is just ahead," murmured the man who seemed to be the leader of the adventuring party.
"Boss Youm... haah... haah..."
Bending over with hands on his knees, a young male spellcaster wearing round glasses and holding a short staff gasped for breath. With a scholarly appearance, he asked, "We have no grudges against each other. Why is the Kingdom of Falmuth gathering an army to attack Rimuru boss' city?"
"No grudges... heh." Youm shook his head. "In the end, it's just about money. Trade routes are limited. If Rimuru earns more, someone else earns less. And that's how grudges are born."
He understood the reality of the world all too well.
Before meeting Rimuru, he had been a street-born nobody who had struggled to become an adventurer. After joining the Jura Forest border investigation group, he had even been assigned by a heartless human border kingdom count to investigate the Orc Lord uprising and the birth of the Orc Disaster. Anyone knew that participating in that mission was basically a death sentence.
If he hadn't fortunately encountered Rimuru's patrol unit, he would have long since become monster droppings.
What hero who defeated the Orc Lord? That identity was something Rimuru had wholeheartedly supported him in assuming under false pretenses.
The achievements and hero title were fake. Borrowed. Even this equipment had been generously sponsored by others.
All so that Rimuru would not attract suspicion from neighboring human kingdoms, and so that he, as the hero who defeated the Orc Lord, could spread the message that the Monster Federation was friendly toward humans.
Unfortunately, the mission had failed. One of the leading powers among the Western Nations—the Kingdom of Falmuth—had ultimately been unable to resist the massive temptation of profit and decided to take action.
Come to think of it, over the past half year, Rimuru boss' trade business had been flourishing more and more, and the national strength of the monster kingdom had been growing stronger by the day.
First, a group of traveling merchants possessing powerful alchemy had appeared near the Jura Forest and later chose to visit the monster kingdom, with news spreading that they had concluded enormous large-scale trade deals.
Afterward, the monster kingdom released even more novel and diverse products, further confirming the rumors.
The border nobles and city merchant guilds who had either missed the opportunity or voluntarily let such lucrative deals slip through their fingers were filled with regret and greed.
Just a few days ago, news arrived that the alchemical merchant group had once again appeared in the monster kingdom, and on a much larger scale than before. Even the massive alchemical flying constructs were bigger than last time.
The rise of the Jura-Tempest Federation, leveraging its geographic advantage, abundant resources, and monopoly on goods to earn massive profits from surrounding merchants, naturally turned it into a racially open commercial city. As a result, numerous spies and commercial agents operated within it.
Once this information spread, many people could no longer remain still.
The lure of profit became even more irresistible.
Among them was the Kingdom of Falmuth.
At the very least, Youm had accidentally discovered the Kingdom of Falmuth's movements.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, he had originally planned to bring his newly joined team members to the monster kingdom once again, to see what novel creations and pleasures Rimuru had come up with this time, and how prosperous the town had become.
Unfortunately, while crossing the border region of the Jura Great Forest, Youm had run straight into the vanguard of Falmuth's human army.
Aggressive. Fully armed. Numbering over ten thousand.
They were definitely not friendly visitors.
"Let's move. We have to inform Rimuru boss. The Kingdom of Falmuth has come with ill intentions..."
After applying diluted mid-grade healing potion to a companion who had been injured by monsters during their escape, Youm did not intend to rest for long. Calling out to his companions, he began accelerating along the packed earth road.
While running, he turned back with a face full of apology and spoke to the black-robed figure who had been silently following behind him, her silhouette suggesting a woman.
"Sorry, Myulan. I promised I'd properly show you around Rimuru boss' town, let you experience everything he built. Didn't expect something like this to happen..."
"No. I was the one who insisted on joining your team. If anything, I should be thanking Brother Youm for taking care of me..."
Her voice was as clear as silver bells. Beneath the swaying black hood, the woman revealed pale green hair that shimmered faintly with silver light and a pair of lake-clear blue eyes.
Even though their forest escape had left her covered in dust, withered branches, spiderwebs, and even unidentified monster fluids, making her look slightly bedraggled, it could not conceal her gentle elegance and refined bearing. Anyone who saw her would undoubtedly praise her beauty.
"Haha... is that so? Once we reach Rimuru boss' territory, I'll show you around properly."
"..."
Amid their conversation, the adventuring party that had escaped the army's pursuit ran toward the faint glow visible on the horizon.
Roar!
Suddenly, a suppressed, hateful screech rang out by their ears, accompanied by a violent gust of wind. A massive spider monster, three or four stories tall, burst through the forest at the roadside and charged straight toward the group in the center of the road.
"Did the scent of blood from our injuries attract a monster?" Youm's expression shifted slightly.
"Form up! Prepare to engage!"
But just as Youm raised his greatsword to step forward—
Roar.
Another screech echoed out. This time, it was one of pain.
Clang!
A silver katana blade flashed past. The spider monster's previously menacing, thrashing hairy legs were instantly severed. A round-headed green figure leapt out from the side and thrust a blade straight into the spider's skull, ending its life.
"I swear, every time you show up, it's when you're slaughtering monsters," Youm sighed, resting his greatsword over his shoulder as he recognized the newcomer. His expression relaxed immediately.
"Huh? Shouldn't I be the one saying that? Every time I see you, you're fighting monsters."
It was Gobta. As he sheathed his katana, his direwolf patrol comrades leapt out from the forest. In a few swift motions, they collected the spider legs, storing them with low-level spatial skills. The intact torso, too large to store, was bound with rope instead.
"Looks like I'll get to enjoy another feast thanks to you..." Youm stepped forward, stroking his chin as he recalled the last massive hotpot banquet.
"Not for you."
Gobta climbed onto his wolf with a weary look. "I don't even get to eat it myself. Youm, I won't give you a ride this time. Follow behind. I need to urgently deliver fresh ingredients for hunting."
Before his words even finished, Gobta was already urging his direwolf forward. Only then did Youm notice that the patrol unit included wolves, lions, tigers, leopards, deer, snakes, and more.
"Hey, Gobta, wait!"
Interrupted, Youm suddenly remembered the urgent matter he had nearly forgotten and quickly shouted, "I have critical news for Rimuru boss! The Kingdom of Falmuth's army has entered the Jura Great Forest! Over ten thousand elite troops—they're coming to attack the monster kingdom!"
"What?!"
He stomped his foot like slamming the brakes and turned around. Gobta's festive round face instantly shifted into one of horror. "This is a huge crisis! The Imperial Investigator is still attending the banquet. If something goes wrong..."
"Empire?" Youm frowned in confusion. "You mean the Eastern Empire?"
"No time to explain. Get on!"
...
So this is the capital of the monster kingdom?
Too easy. There wasn't even any inspection.
Beneath her hood, the green-haired, blue-eyed beauty thought silently.
"Spy..."
A silent murmur that only she herself could hear.
Myulan, the mage who had joined Youm's team not long ago, gazed at the brightly lit, colorful monster city growing ever closer before her eyes.
This was her first time truly approaching the city.
Previously, when one of the Three Oldest Demon Lords—Dragon-Majjin Milim Nava—had detected fluctuations from her crystal remote surveillance, she had been so frightened that she fled overnight.
Exhale... how many years had it been? The monster town had developed to such an impressive scale.
Although she had never forgotten the mission entrusted to her by one of the youngest new-generation Demon Lords—the Marionette Master Clayman. Nor dared she forget. Her heart was under control. She was Demon Lord Clayman's puppet.
She needed to monitor Rimuru, the slime who had become leader of the monster alliance and gained the favor of that mysterious alchemical faction, as well as his kingdom's power, gathering all useful intelligence. Only by doing so could she live.
But that did not stop Myulan from being astonished.
Were those lighting devices that required no flames products of alchemy? Those colorful little lamps were so beautiful. And those metallic, gleaming machines—what were they? Fountains, gardens, slime-shaped relief sculptures... wait, what was that?
In a fleeting glance, she saw enormous alchemical steel vehicles filling a vast packed-earth plaza. On the ground were mountains of storage crates, while metal alchemical constructs continuously handled loading and unloading operations.
And along both sides of the city's central boulevard stood towering statues of heavily armored giants, holding massive greatswords. Their oversized pauldrons and skull-wing emblems upon their chests were vividly sculpted.
Whether from her human memories of centuries ago or her experiences after being bewitched by Demon Lord Clayman and turned into a puppet majin, she had never seen a legion with such style and appearance.
That style unmistakably belonged to an army.
Perhaps this was the key to how a mere lower-ranked slime had risen to stand at the head of all monsters.
Myulan came to that conclusion.
Unfortunately, for some reason, Demon Lord Clayman had not contacted her. It was as if the signal had been severed. Even her own attempts at communication received no response.
Did some kind of sealing barrier exist here?
Just as Myulan sank into thought—
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
The tearing sound of electromagnetic pulse rounds ripping through flesh, followed by the dull thuds of heavy bodies collapsing. And though she could not understand the language, the synchronized stomping of military boots sounded eerily like drills in a barracks.
At the same time, Gobta's direwolf patrol unit halted.
Following the sound, Myulan witnessed an unbelievable scene.
A large group of humans—or majins—beings whose bodies carried no weak magical presence, were kicked to the ground by soldiers clad in full-coverage armor. Their limbs were restrained, and they were executed one by one with gunfire.
She watched as grotesque faces burst apart at the head, neck, and heart, exploding into sprays of blood and shredded flesh.
The shattered heads were removed. As casually as slaughtering chickens, the soldiers stacked the severed heads to one side, while the bodies were piled farther away.
Several captured majins were dragged out again. At the command of a man wearing a peaked cap and an ornate iron-gray military uniform, flamethrower troopers—backpacks humming with energy cells, wielding melta guns—unleashed star-like torrents of blazing fire, melting both corpses and living majins alike. Not even ash remained.
"This..." Gobta was stunned. He had merely gone out hunting—what had happened?
"It's the Investigator's order. We were scolded harshly... These are spies and saboteurs from other nations who infiltrated our country. Caught red-handed. They even intended to coordinate inside and outside forces to attack the banquet hall where the Investigator and Lord Rimuru are staying..."
Several goblins, Gobta's close companions, emerged from the reception district and pulled him aside, still shaken. "You have no idea. When the Investigator announced the death sentence and ordered their execution, that look in her eyes... my liver was trembling..."
"Investigator?" Youm grew even more curious. "So you already knew someone intended to attack you?"
"You could say that."
An aged voice spoke.
Seeing the white-haired ogre, Youm bowed. "Master Hakurou."
Nodding, Hakurou looked toward the ruthless auxiliary guard unit. "It's not just the Kingdom of Falmuth. There were also the Demon Lord's eyes and ears—the clown who incited the orc uprising and destroyed my homeland—and spies from certain neutral factions. If we hadn't investigated, we wouldn't have realized how much we're hated."
The Demon Lord's eyes and ears...
Hearing this, the green-haired, blue-eyed woman trembled slightly.
There were other Demon Lord agents here as well?
"Who is this person?"
At that moment, several Sangheili guards clad in red-and-gold battle armor, standing over two meters tall with split mandibles, stepped forward. They made no effort to conceal their scrutiny as they examined Youm and his group, who had followed Gobta toward the plaza near the reception district.
Thanks to their real-time translation systems, their speech flowed without the slightest stiffness.
"Who are you?" Intimidated by their fearsome appearance, Youm's hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword.
"Mortal, you do not need to know. I only need to inform you that you have committed the crime of harboring and assisting a spy, whether knowingly or unknowingly participating in an attempted assassination of the Imperial Investigator. In consideration of your ignorance, step aside."
Even if they did not know that this Investigator was in fact the very Empress they served, the Sangheili had always regarded honor as more important than life. As one of the leading lawful alien races within the Empire, they never tolerated the slightest error in missions involving the protection of high-ranking Imperial officials.
A potential assassin getting close—even if the assassin could not defeat the target—was unacceptable.
That was honor.
Vrrrm.
Dual energy blades ignited. The leading Sangheili guard burst forward. His blade shattered the fundamental atomic structure of Youm's greatsword.
With a thunderous kick, he sent Youm flying, slamming him to the ground in a cloud of dust. Cracks even spread across the nearby stone walls.
"Seize the green-haired woman! According to scans, she is not human! Her body has been modified. Her heart is hollow. Indexed magical wavelength readings show that from the moment she entered the city, she has been attempting to contact the outside world."
Wielding a single-bladed energy glaive and activating energy-field shields, the Sangheili guards swiftly knocked aside the stunned human adventurers. Chains designed to suppress magical energy were hurled toward Myulan.
"If capture proves impossible, kill as necessary!"
...
Reception District, top floor of the banquet hall. Balcony.
So it happened earlier than expected.
Because the merchant transactions had further boosted the monster kingdom's trade, deepening vested interests and pushing certain parties to reckless action?
With multiple holographic projections floating before her, Selene leaned lazily against the railing, swirling the tea in her cup.
"Do you see? Perhaps I arrived at the wrong time. If I had waited until your city was attacked, casualties mounted, and you lost someone important before appearing, perhaps the effect would have been greater."
"Investigator—big sister—jokes," Rimuru forced out a bitter laugh.
After their earlier conversation, their relationship had grown less distant, more intimate. Yet his gaze remained fixed on the comprehensive aerial projections displaying the restless hostile forces surrounding the monster kingdom's capital. His expression was ashamed and his eyes dark.
Ashamed—because many of his policies and naive ideals had been criticized by Selene as worthless.
His rebuttals appeared especially pale and powerless in the face of human kingdoms that still chose violence despite the countless preferential policies and goodwill he had offered.
Fortunately, Youm's firm choice had salvaged a bit of his dignity, allowing him at least a token argument against Selene.
Dark—because Rimuru realized that if not for the successive arrivals of the merchant Edwin Webb and Selene, which had occupied him, he might have been away in the human kingdom teaching Shizu's students at this very moment.
While his companions and family in the Federation were under attack, he, the king, would not even be home.
Especially under the absurd rule he himself had set—that humans must not be harmed.
One could easily imagine the catastrophic casualties his naivety and mistakes would have caused. Perhaps even the destruction of the nation.
"My time is limited. Procedurally, I respect your choice and will act in accordance with official conduct. But as Edwin once said, you have only one year. Rimuru, I look forward to the day you ascend as the strongest in this world."
"Do not let the final news I receive in the Imperial Capital be the investiture of the Eastern Empire instead."
With her hands clasped behind her back, Selene slowly descended the stairs.
Have the fresh ingredients arrived? The kitchen staff should be rested by now.
Good. Continue serving the dishes.
As for what Rimuru would do next, she would not interfere further. She had already done all she reasonably could. It was repayment enough for his banquet hospitality.
If he succeeded, he would become the ruler of an Imperial vassal state.
If he failed, at the latest within one year, he would be taken by Selene to the Imperial Palace.
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