Ramiris didn't know Ren Kuroda at all.
However, when she rushed over to warn Milim, she happened to overhear that Ren was an Awakened Demon Lord and that Veldora was the Storm Dragon. True to her excitable nature, she immediately started chattering away, loudly declaring that she wanted both of them to become her underlings.
Not long after Ramiris arrived, a spatial wormhole suddenly opened inside the conference hall.
From the swirling vortex, a green-haired maid stepped out slowly and gracefully.
"May I confirm something?" the maid asked politely as she looked around at everyone present.
"Are the two of you Lord Rimuru Tempest, leader of the Monster Federation, and His Majesty Ren Kuroda, Emperor of the Kingdom of Falmuth?"
"The Demon Lords' Banquet has begun. I am Misalli, a subordinate of Demon Lord Guy Crimson. I have come specifically to escort the two of you."
After greeting Ramiris with a slight nod, the green-haired maid turned her gaze toward Ren and Rimuru as she introduced herself.
When she mentioned Guy Crimson, Ren's attention sharpened.
He had already heard the name more than once. Among the Ten Great Demon Lords, Guy was one of the few beings capable of rivaling Milim.
And now, looking at the maid standing before him, Ren realized that the rumors were probably true.
Because the woman in front of him—Misalli—was stronger than most monsters he had ever encountered.
She was merely a servant.
Yet the aura hidden beneath her calm exterior was comparable to Medea, Wiz, or even Benimaru and Diablo on Rimuru's side.
For the Demon Lords' Banquet, each Demon Lord was allowed to bring two attendants.
Ren chose Wiz and Medea.
Rimuru brought Ranga and Diablo.
Shion had originally insisted on coming along, but both Ren and Rimuru unanimously agreed that with her temper, she would almost certainly offend another Demon Lord before the meeting was even halfway through.
From the moment Misalli appeared, her expression had remained perfectly blank.
That was, until Diablo stepped forward—his face filled with excitement after being chosen to accompany Rimuru.
For the first time, a ripple appeared in Misalli's expression.
"Oh? You two know each other?" Rimuru asked curiously after noticing the subtle shift in their faces.
"Well, I suppose that's not surprising. You're both demons, and high-ranking ones at that."
Diablo adjusted his gloves slightly before answering.
"That one is the Primordial Green. You could say she's roughly on the same level as I am."
"I just didn't expect her to be serving Red."
"The one she follows now… could be considered one of my old rivals back in the demon realm."
Hearing this, Rimuru's jelly-like face visibly twitched.
For a moment, he seriously considered replacing Diablo with someone else before attending the banquet.
The Red Diablo mentioned was obviously Guy Crimson.
If the two of them met face-to-face… would they start fighting over old grudges?
They were already preparing to deal with Milim and Clayman.
If they accidentally added Guy Crimson to their list of enemies too…
Yeah, that would be completely hopeless.
As if sensing Rimuru's growing anxiety, Diablo suddenly smiled and bowed deeply.
Now that he had sworn loyalty to Rimuru, he explained, Rimuru's will came before everything else.
He would never do anything that could harm his lord's interests.
Hearing that, Rimuru finally relaxed a little.
Meanwhile, Misalli, the Primordial Green, looked genuinely surprised again.
She began observing Rimuru much more carefully.
After all, as far as she knew, Primordial Black—Diablo—was not the type to bow so humbly before anyone.
Even when facing the mighty Primordial Red, Guy Crimson, Diablo had always treated him as a rival rather than a master.
And yet now… this slime had earned his complete loyalty?
Once that small interruption passed, Ren and Rimuru followed Misalli through the portal.
Moments later, they arrived in a vast conference hall.
At the center of the room stood a massive round table, surrounded by ten chairs.
One of those chairs was already occupied.
Sitting there was a handsome man with wild red hair, his presence sharp and domineering.
As Ren and Rimuru arrived, the other Demon Lords began appearing one after another.
Some brought attendants.
Others came alone.
Demon Lord Dagruel, Demon Lord Valentine, and Demon Lord Dino were all veteran members of the Ten Great Demon Lords.
While they were not as ancient as Ramiris, Milim, or Guy, they were still considered long-standing Demon Lords.
Then came Leon Cromwell, the Platinum Sword King.
The moment he saw Rimuru's face, tension nearly erupted between them.
The reason was simple.
Shizue Izawa, the woman who had once been absorbed by Rimuru, had originally been summoned to this world by Leon.
Leon had made her stronger and offered her the chance to extend her life by forming a contract with the Fire Spirit Ifrit.
But Shizue refused.
She had no desire to prolong her life by becoming something other than human.
In the end, as her life approached its natural end, Rimuru inherited her will.
From Leon's perspective, he had already done everything he could.
He had made Shizue stronger and offered her longevity. She was the one who rejected it.
But from Rimuru's point of view, Leon's thinking was completely self-centered.
Shizue never wanted strength.
She never wanted immortality.
Her only wish had always been to return to her original home.
A place where her family and friends were.
A place filled with familiar sights and memories.
But Leon had summoned her away from that world and forced her into this one.
Ren rubbed his forehead.
"Rimuru… I'm starting to regret coming to this Demon Lords' Banquet with you."
"If we exclude Milim and Clayman, your subordinate has a history with Guy, and you've got unresolved issues with that Platinum Sword King."
"Our list of enemies just keeps getting longer."
Ren felt a headache coming on.
There were many Demon Lords present, but Guy Crimson and Leon Cromwell were the ones who felt the most dangerous to him.
Both of them were Awakened Demon Lords.
They were nothing like weaklings such as Clayman.
Eventually, the final trio arrived.
Milim, Frey, and Clayman entered together.
And as if putting on a show, Clayman walked behind Milim while kicking and punching her repeatedly.
It was as though humiliating her in front of the other Demon Lords boosted his sense of pride.
However, the other Demon Lords watching the scene were completely stunned.
They all knew Milim well.
Normally, if someone dared treat her like this, she would explode into a violent rage on the spot.
Yet Milim simply endured the blows without reacting at all.
Frey and Milim took their seats.
Clayman glanced around at the remaining empty chairs.
The only open seat left was the one beside Ren.
He started walking over, clearly intending to sit down.
But just as he approached—
Snap.
Ren casually snapped his fingers.
Instantly, black flames erupted across the seat.
"Oh, sorry about that," Ren said calmly.
"That seat belongs to my close friend Karion."
"He had some urgent matters to deal with and couldn't make it today… so he asked me to save his place for him."