Neither Youmu nor Diablo had ever met Ren Kuroda before. Just moments earlier, they had been struggling to figure out how to handle the group that had suddenly appeared, feeling the situation growing increasingly troublesome. But when Shion's voice rang out unexpectedly, the tension that had been building instantly eased, and both of them let out a long breath of relief.
When they heard her address the newcomer as "Lord Ren" and "Lord Rimuru," even someone as slow on the uptake as Youmu could finally piece things together. Clearly, these people were allies.
In truth, when Rimuru began evolving into an "Awakened Demon Lord," Diablo had already felt that something was off. Why had Benimaru, Gobta, and the other monsters fallen into deep sleep after receiving Rimuru's blessing… while Shion and Shuna, who were also ogres, showed absolutely no signs of collapsing?
But the moment Diablo saw Ren Kuroda standing there—and heard the way Shion addressed him—everything suddenly made sense.
Furthermore, judging from the sheer density of magicules radiating from Shion and Shuna, Diablo could also infer something else: the strength Ren had been hiding was likely no weaker than that of his own summoner, Lord Rimuru. Perhaps even stronger.
"Although, judging from appearances, you all seem to be friends of my master, Lord Rimuru," Diablo said calmly, his voice polite but firm,"the current situation is somewhat… delicate. I would ask that you remain within the town for the time being. Once Lord Rimuru awakens, everything can be decided then."
Even though Shion and Shuna had already vouched for Ren's harmless intentions, Diablo still forced himself to say those words.
After all, Rimuru and the others were currently at the most critical stage of their evolution. In their present state, they had almost no ability to defend themselves. If someone wished to harm them now, it wouldn't be much more difficult than killing ordinary monsters.
"What exactly are you implying?!" Shion snapped immediately.
"Are you suggesting Lord Ren would attack Lord Rimuru? You're just some newcomer! Do you even realize that Lord Ren and Lord Rimuru are close friends? This entire Monster Federation wouldn't even exist without him—Lord Ren deserves at least half the credit for its creation!"
Shion had always been quick-tempered. The moment she heard this newly arrived demon questioning Ren's intentions, her mood soured instantly.
They hadn't even begun questioning the suspicious origins of this strange new demon, yet he was already doubting them first.
"My apologies," Diablo replied calmly. "But my master's safety must always come first. Since you are Lord Rimuru's close friend, I assume you wouldn't mind waiting a few days."
His crimson gaze flicked toward them thoughtfully.
"Besides… while Miss Shion and Miss Shuna may be my seniors, are you certain that the positions you represent belong only to Lord Rimuru?"
Diablo was no ordinary demon.
He was one of the Demon Primordials—the Original Black. His status alone placed him at the absolute peak among demonkind. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even bother explaining himself—he would simply act.
Unfortunately, the group standing before him made that impossible.
Leaving aside Lord Ren, Diablo could already sense that among the people standing beside him were one or two whose strength was comparable to his own.
Seeing Shion draw her massive greatsword, the atmosphere instantly turned sharp with hostility. The tension between her and Diablo was like two blades about to clash.
Watching this unfold, Youmu and the other adventurers—mere bystanders in this confrontation—began to panic.
When gods fought, mortals suffered.
Both Shion and Diablo had already demonstrated terrifying power before. If the two of them actually started fighting here, the collateral damage alone would be disastrous.
Of course, the adventurers wanted to stop them.
The problem was… even if their entire group attacked together, they still couldn't defeat a single one of them.
"Shion, that's enough."
Ren's calm voice cut through the tension.
"What he said isn't wrong. We'll just stay here and wait for that guy to wake up."
Ren folded his arms casually.
"I honestly didn't expect Rimuru to awaken this quickly. But that works in our favor. Our side just got a lot stronger."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"With more strength on our side, our chances of crushing the Demon Lords just went up."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Hearing Ren's words, Diablo immediately relaxed and offered a flawless, gentlemanly bow.
Though he was the Primordial Black, a demon of immense pride, he still showed proper courtesy to the strong.
And so, Ren and his group stayed in Rimuru's town for several more days.
During that time, Benimaru, Geld, and the others gradually awakened one after another.
Over those few days, Ren also learned from Benimaru what had happened shortly after he had left.
"So this Hinata Sakaguchi person is pretty damn impressive, huh?" Ren said, raising an eyebrow.
"She actually managed to stop Rimuru before his awakening and even nearly killed him? What the hell… could she be some kind of Hero or something? Think we could recruit her to help us take down the Demon Lords?"
Even before awakening, Rimuru had already been a Demon Lord Seed. He had devoured a High Spirit, the Orc Disaster, and even contained the terrifying existence known as the Storm Dragon inside him. His magicule reserves alone were already more than enough to qualify him as a Demon Lord in title.
And yet Ren had never expected that Rimuru would nearly be killed by a single human.
And judging from the name Hinata Sakaguchi, it sounded suspiciously like she—just like Ren and Rimuru—might also have come from another world.
"Your Majesty," Alice said, standing beside Ren while calmly explaining.
"Hinata Sakaguchi is not a 'Hero.' She is the Captain of the Holy Knight Order of the Western Church and its strongest knight. It is said that she is the strongest human alive."
"She usually only obeys the orders of the Holy Emperor, so the chances of her cooperating with us are very low. And judging by the monsters' reactions… they probably wouldn't accept Hinata Sakaguchi anyway."
"Then forget it," Ren shrugged.
"Rimuru's already awakened anyway. And besides him… it seems another ridiculous guy has also broken free from his seal."
He smiled faintly.
"With the three of us—and you guys backing us up—even if some of the Ten Great Demon Lords decide to turn against us, we should still be able to handle them."
Benimaru and the others looked puzzled by Ren's words.
But before they could ask further, a loud, hearty laugh suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Gahahahaha!"
Two figures approached—one tall, one shorter.
"Haha! You must be the kid called Ren Kuroda!" the tall man boomed with excitement.
"I saw you earlier while I was inside Rimuru! I've got to say—I really like you!"
He crossed his arms and grinned widely.
"And since you're Rimuru's friend, that makes you my friend too! If you ever need help with anything, just say the word!"
Of the two figures approaching, the blue-haired youth—though slightly taller now—was easy to recognize as the newly awakened Rimuru.
As for the other man, a tall, broad-shouldered figure with wild spiky hair and a bold, carefree demeanor, no one present recognized him at first.
But the moment they heard the name he introduced himself with, everyone's expression changed instantly.
Because "Veldora" was the name of the legendary Storm Dragon, one of the three remaining True Dragons in the world.
In other words—
The Storm Dragon that had disappeared from the Great Jura Forest long ago… had suddenly appeared here.
And judging from his attitude, he clearly seemed to know Lord Ren and Lord Rimuru quite well.
Now that Rimuru had awakened, his skill Great Sage had evolved into the far more powerful Raphael, Lord of Wisdom. Because of this, the analysis of the seal imprisoning Veldora had progressed much faster.
And Veldora, of course, already knew Ren.
After all, while sealed inside Rimuru's body, he had spent plenty of time watching Rimuru's experiences play out like a series of miniature theater performances.