"Queen Frey of Fulbrosia... this is quite the welcome party you've prepared for us," Rimuru said with an amused smile as he looked straight at the queen of harpies, completely ignoring the guards surrounding him. "But as fascinating as this is, I would really prefer not to have weapons pointed at my face."
Meanwhile, Frey took a brief moment to steady herself, pushing down the lingering unease that had settled in her chest. By the time she spoke, her usual composed, frosty demeanor had already returned. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, but it was unavoidable. As you can see, my entire nation is on high alert at the moment," she said, folding her hands in front of her chest. "And besides, your rather dramatic entrance did little to ease the situation," she added with a hint of sarcasm slipping through her voice as she raised her hand and gestured for her soldiers to lower their weapons. Though many of them hesitated, they ultimately obeyed her command, lowering their arms with visible reluctance.
"What can I say? I do try sometimes," Rimuru replied with a light grin, clearly unfazed by the tension still hanging in the air. His carefree attitude immediately got under the soldiers' skin. More than a few of them found themselves cursing him internally after that stunt nearly scared the life out of them. Even Frey felt a small twitch in her eye as she watched him, his behavior reminding her all too well of another one of her particularly troublesome fellow Demon Lords.
"Anyway, as belated as it may be, Ruler of the monster nation Tempest, Rimuru Tempest, I, Queen Frey, welcome you to the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia," Frey said, spreading out her wings wide. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"Don't worry about that," Rimuru replied easily, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Though I have to admit, I am a little curious. What exactly prompted the Sky Queen to send me a personal invitation like this, and on such short notice?"
"You will understand soon enough, but before that," Frey said as she turned briefly toward one of her soldiers. "As you can see, the situation here has been resolved. Return to your posts and maintain strict vigilance," she ordered. Only after the soldiers began dispersing did she turn back to Rimuru. "Now, if you would, please follow me inside. There is much we need to discuss," she said and waited just long enough for him to fall in step beside her before turning and making her way toward the castle, with her two daughters as well as Benimaru and Shion following behind their respective leaders.
******
Inside the meeting room, Rimuru and Frey sat facing each other. Neither of them spoke at first, and the silence stretched on, as both leaders took the time to observe, measure, and assess the person sitting in front of them. Finally, after letting it linger just long enough, Rimuru decided to break it.
"Well, Frey, I hope you do not mind me calling you that," Rimuru began as he leaned back slightly in his seat. "I have to say, your castle is pretty impressive. The decor alone says a lot about your taste," he added as his eyes wandered briefly around the room, taking in the details before returning to her.
"Thank you for the compliment," Frey replied, lifting her chin ever so slightly, a hint of pride slipping into her expression. "Everything you see here was personally selected by me, and..." she began, clearly about to elaborate further, only for Rimuru to cut her off.
"Shame. For a place this beautiful, there isn't a hint of warmth anywhere," Rimuru said as his gaze fixed squarely on the harpy queen. "Sorry to say this, but I've been to plenty of smaller, shabbier places that felt a lot more welcoming than this."
"What do you mean by that, Rimuru?" Frey asked, deliberately using his name without any honorifics, mirroring the casual way he had addressed her earlier. "Are you trying to mock me?" she added, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I'm not mocking you, I'm just saying how it looks to me," Rimuru replied with a casual shrug, completely unfazed by the way she was glaring at him. "What I mean is, even with a castle this impressive, filled with all this expensive decor, it still doesn't feel like a home."
"Hmm... that's quite an unexpected thing to hear from someone like you, Rimuru," Frey said, letting out a soft scoff as a faint trace of mockery slipped into her voice. Her gaze shifted briefly past him, landing on the purple-haired guard standing behind him, who was currently glaring back at her without even trying to hide it. "I wouldn't have thought you cared about something so trivial," she continued, turning her attention back to him. "A ruler's residence isn't meant to feel warm or welcoming. It's meant to be imposing. It should reflect your authority over your nation, not just to outsiders, but to your own people as well."
"Oh, sure, if that's how you see it," Rimuru replied with another small shrug, his tone making it clear he didn't agree with her at all. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes now, like he had expected that answer. "Honestly, though, I'm not surprised you think that way, considering this nation's history."
"You seem to know quite a bit about me," Frey said calmly, without a trace of worry or panic in her voice. "Please, go on. I'm curious to hear what you think you know," she added, meeting his gaze.
"Nothing too special. Just that you killed your own mother to take the throne," Rimuru said casually as he fiddled with the dial of his watch. "Tell me something. Did you hesitate back then? Did your hand tremble, knowing you were killing your own mother?"
"No. I didn't hesitate, and my hand didn't tremble either," Frey answered without the slightest pause, her tone as matter-of-fact as if she were discussing the weather. She raised her glass and took a slow sip before continuing. "Because if I had, then right now you would be speaking to my mother, and I would be lying in some forgotten grave." Setting the glass aside, she regarded him with faint disdain. "That said, I must admit, you ask some truly ridiculous questions. Warmth, love... such trivial concerns for a ruler and a being like you."
"Well, that's what happens when you have a warm home and a lovely wife waiting for you every day. Though I guess that's not something you'd understand," Rimuru shot back with a scoff, leaning back slightly as a smirk formed on his lips. His gaze then shifted past her, landing on the two girls standing behind her. "Speaking of family, when are you two planning to go after that throne yourselves? Or are you going to try and kill each other first?"
"Rimuru-sama, please do not say something so unpleasant," Claire said, as she shot a sharp glare at the blue-haired man, clearly displeased with his words.
"Indeed, please refrain from saying things that would force us to be rude to a guest, Rimuru-sama," Luchia added while her eyes carried the same edge as her sister's.
"Girls, that's enough," Frey said, raising her hand slightly and silencing them with a brief side glance before turning her attention back to Rimuru. Her expression remained calm as before, but there was a faint hint of annoyance beneath it now. "What exactly are you trying to do? Are you attempting to stir a civil war in my nation?"
"Relax, I was just messing around," Rimuru replied with a light chuckle, leaning back comfortably on the couch. "Besides, if I actually wanted to start a civil war in your nation, you wouldn't even realize it until you were already being dragged off that throne."
"That's reassuring..." Frey replied dryly, the sarcasm in her voice impossible to miss as she gave him a flat, unimpressed look, before her the faint irritation and annoyance faded into something far more composed and serious. "Now, if we are done breaking the ice, shall we move on to more important matters?"
"Of course, of course," Rimuru said, still smiling, but in the very next moment, something about him changed. The easygoing air around him vanished, replaced by a heavier, far more oppressive presence that filled the room without warning. It was subtle, but impossible to ignore, and it caught both Frey and her daughters off guard. "Well then, Frey... tell me, what do you think is a fair price for dealing with a threat like Charybdis?"
The moment those words left Rimuru's mouth, Frey sucked in a sharp breath, her composure cracking for the first time since he arrived. Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at him, as if she had just heard something impossible. After all, even her own people did not know what kind of threat they were preparing for. She was the only one who had heard the seer's warning. Only she knew that a Great Calamity was approaching, hanging over them like an unseen blade. So hearing that name spoken so casually by an outsider sent a chill down her spine.
"How do you know that?" Frey demanded in a sharp voice as she suddenly leaned forward, closing the distance between them until she was almost right in his face, barely holding herself back like she was seconds away from grabbing his collar and forcing the answer out of him.
Instead of answering, Rimuru simply kept that same faint smirk on his face, "I know a lot of things, but whether you get those answers or not depends on how our negotiations go," he said, resting his head against his fist. "Also, you might want to back up a bit. I don't like people I barely know getting all up in my personal space."
Realizing just how close she had gotten, Frey paused for a second before pulling herself back as a faint flush crept across her face despite her efforts to stay composed. "My apologies," she said, clearing her throat before continuing. "Anyway, yes... negotiations," she took a slow breath, steadying herself before meeting his gaze once again, this time with full seriousness. "Tell me your terms for helping Fulbrosia. As long as they are reasonable and within my power, I will agree without much resistance."
"Don't worry, Frey, what I'm asking for isn't anything too outrageous," Rimuru said calmly as he produced a file and set it down on the table between them. "Take a look and tell me if you find the terms acceptable."
Frey did not hesitate. She picked up the file immediately and began reading through it. But as her eyes moved from one line to the next, her calm slowly started to crack. Her brows furrowed, her gaze sharpened, and then her eyes widened just slightly as the full weight of what she was reading sank in. A second later, she slammed the file down onto the table with a sharp sound, glaring straight at him. "Is this some kind of joke? What kind of terms are these-"
"Relax, there's no need to raise your voice," Rimuru cut in smoothly and continued in an almost indifferent and lazy tone. "And yes, those are my terms. You can either accept them or find some other way to save your kingdom. But before you make that decision, I suggest you think it through properly. Especially considering what I'm offering you in return."
Hearing that, Frey took a sharp breath, forcing the anger boiling inside her back under control through sheer will. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room with the file still in her hand. The door closed behind her, leaving her two daughters standing there in her place, both of them facing their guests with visibly awkward expressions, unsure how to react to their mother's sudden and furious exit.
"Well, that was a bit rude," Rimuru remarked with a light chuckle, glancing briefly toward the door Frey had just exited through before shifting his attention back to Claire and Luchia. "So, while Frey takes her time to cool off, how about you two show us around?"
******
Inside her bedchamber, Frey sat on the edge of her bed, barely holding herself together as she gripped the blanket so tightly her knuckles turned white. The queen of Fulbrosia glared at the floor, rage burning in her eyes as she replayed the sheer humiliation she had felt while reading the conditions Rimuru had laid out in exchange for his help.
In that entire document, there were only two actual terms. Everything else was just a long list of benefits she would receive if she agreed. And yet, those two terms were so absurd, so blatantly unreasonable, that Frey felt that accepting them would mean throwing away her pride and losing face in front of her own people.
Right now, however, her anger at Rimuru was being overshadowed by the crushing weight of humiliation she felt at her own weakness. If it had been anyone else, her pride would have driven her to tear that document apart and execute them on the spot for even daring to suggest such terms. And yet here she was, alone in her room, seething, while the very same document lay untouched on her bed, silently mocking her pride.
Even so, no matter how deeply her pride had been wounded, she could not allow it to cloud her judgment. As a queen, she could not afford to make decisions based on emotion alone. The very first benefit written in that document made that painfully clear. Rimuru had promised to deal with Charybdis without a single soldier or structure in her nation being harmed.
Faced with an offer like that, how could the queen in her not be tempted? And yet, at the same time, her pride as both an individual and a Demon Lord stood in her way, stubborn and unyielding, refusing to let her take that final step, no matter how much sense it made.
Just as she was struggling to come to a decision, a knock suddenly echoed through her chamber. Frey's eyes snapped toward the door instantly, her gaze turning cold and hostile as irritation flared again. She pushed herself up from the bed without hesitation and strode toward it with heavy, deliberate steps, already deciding that whoever was on the other side was about to bear the full weight of her frustration.
However, the moment she pulled the door open, that anger vanished almost completely when she saw Seer Circe standing outside with a grim expression on her face. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Then, without a word, Frey stepped aside and allowed the old woman to enter before closing the door behind her.
"What are you doing here, old woman?" Frey asked sharply, even as she tried to keep her temper in check. She folded her arms, watching her closely. "With that look on your face, I'm guessing this isn't good news, is it?"
"Unfortunately, that is the case, my queen," Seer Circe replied, lowering her gaze. She knew all too well that in recent months, she had done little but add to the growing weight already pressing down on her queen.
"Well, that's consistent," Frey said dryly, clicking her tongue. "Just say what you came to say, and don't waste my time with riddles or vague nonsense. I'm already under enough stress as it is," she added while glaring at the Seer with eyes that promised that she wouldn't consider the old woman's age if she dared to piss her off.
"No, there's no need for long explanations," Seer Circe said grimly as she met Frey's gaze, a faint trace of helplessness visible in her eyes. "The Great Calamity is almost upon us, my queen. We have, at most, twenty-four hours or less... and even that is uncertain. I cannot predict exactly when it will begin."
The moment those words reached her, it was as if all the strength drained from Frey's body at once. She staggered back slightly before dropping onto the edge of her bed, and almost unconsciously, her eyes drifted toward the file resting on the bed beside her.
"By the way, how are your negotiations going with that ruler of the monster nation who caused such a stir earlier?" Seer Circe asked, but a sense of unease settled in her chest the moment Frey turned to look at her with that helpless expression.
"Well, first of all, he already knew we were dealing with Charybdis. And fortunately for us, he did agree to help, but not without conditions," Frey said as she pushed herself off the bed and walked over to the window, her gaze falling over her queendom below. The sight that usually filled her with pride now only tightened the weight in her chest. "His first condition is that Fulbrosia becomes a vassal state of Tempest," she continued, letting out a quiet breath as she leaned against the wall beside the window. "And his second... is that I step down from the Ten Great Demon Lords and become one of his subordinates," she finished as her eyes drifted to the Demon Lord's ring on her finger.
A heavy silence settled over the room once she finished speaking. For a while, neither of them moved until Seer Circe finally broke it. "When that man first arrived, I attempted to see his future..." she began, noticing the way Frey looked at her, searching for any kind of guidance in this desperate situation. "I used every bit of experience I have, every method and technique at my disposal to glimpse the outcome of your negotiations. I pushed myself further than I had ever in my life... but in the end, I saw nothing. Not a single thread."
"So what does that mean?" Frey asked, her voice carrying a hint of disappointment at the seer's answer.
"It means that man is either far too powerful for me to read... or..." Seer Circe said, her gaze drifting toward the window with a distant look in her eyes, "he may not be bound by fate at all."
"Queen Frey, please do not think I am trying to push you toward any particular decision," Seer Circe said gently as she reached out and stroked Frey's hair. "I have seen you grow from a small hatchling into the queen you are today. No matter what you decide, even if you choose to refuse his offer, I swear to you that I, along with every soldier under your command, will gladly lay down our lives for you and for our home."
At those words, something inside Frey finally cracked. Her vision blurred as tears began to gather in her eyes, and memories of her earlier conversation with Rimuru surfaced uninvited. She had dismissed him back then, mocked him even, for speaking about things like warmth and love as if they were meaningless. And yet now, standing here, hearing those same emotions reflected in the loyalty of her people, she found herself cursing her own heart for responding to them, for feeling something she had spent so long convincing herself did not matter.
Just as Frey was about to speak, a sudden, foreboding sensation washed over her, sharp and suffocating, sending a chill racing down her spine. Her instincts screamed at her before her mind could even catch up. In the next instant, she moved without hesitation, bursting through the window of her bedchamber and soaring into the open sky. The wind whipped past her as she ascended, rising higher and higher until her gaze locked onto the distant horizon. And there it was. A massive, shark-like dragon cutting through the sky, flying toward her nation, accompanied by countless smaller creatures trailing along with it.
"This is it... Charybdis..." Frey muttered under her breath, her eyes hardening as the reality of the situation settled in. She turned her head, looking back toward her kingdom. Panic had already begun to spread across Fulbrosia. From above, she could see the chaos unfolding. Soldiers were moving quickly, shouting orders as they ushered civilians into their homes, while others rushed to take their positions, forming defensive lines along the outer walls in preparation for the inevitable clash.
Her gaze shifted again, and this time it landed on the castle walls below. Standing there was Rimuru, accompanied by his two guards and her daughters, all of them facing the approaching threat. Yet the difference between them was impossible to miss. Her daughters stood tense, their bodies stiff, clearly bracing themselves for what was coming. In contrast, Rimuru's guards looked almost bored, while Rimuru himself simply stood there, watching the massive creature glide closer with a calm, almost curious expression.
Frey then descended from the sky, landing beside the blue-haired man with barely a sound. "You seem to be enjoying the view," she said, her gaze fixed firmly on the approaching monster in the distance. Behind her, her daughters quickly moved closer, standing near her as they looked at her back with worry in their eyes.
"I won't lie, there's a certain charm to a sight like this every now and then," Rimuru replied casually while his eyes were still on Charybdis as it grew larger with every passing second.
"Rimuru... no... Lord Rimuru, I've made my decision," Frey said, correcting herself mid-sentence as she steadied her voice, ignoring the stunned, wide-eyed looks from her daughters behind her. "I, Queen Frey of the Harpy Queendom of Fulbrosia, give you my word. If you save my nation and its people without a single scratch, just as you promised, then I will willingly declare Fulbrosia a vassal state of Tempest and agree to serve under you," she declared, placing a hand over her chest.
"A wise decision, Queen Frey. And don't worry, you won't regret it," Rimuru said with an easy smile before turning his attention toward his guards as a fun idea popped into his mind.
"Shion, Benimaru, you're up," he said, gesturing toward the sky. "See those Megalodons flying alongside that giant fish? Here's the plan. I want the two of you to thin their numbers before Charybdis reaches Fulbrosia. And here's the fun part. Whoever takes down the most Megalodons wins, and I'll personally craft a weapon for the winner," he added, and in the next instant, the two kijin's auras flared to life, red clashing against purple as eager, almost predatory grins spread across their faces.
"So," Rimuru added, glancing between them with clear amusement, "what do you say?"
To be continued...
******
Illustrations: Frey