"Welcome Back, Lord Rimuru!"
The monsters greeted their master's return with the utmost respect.
A diverse array of races gathered there, though the most prominent were the Hobgoblins and High Orcs.
As a former fan of the Tensura anime, Issei felt a strange sense of familiarity with the sight unfolding before his eyes.
"Ahem! We have special guests with us today. Their names are Issei-san and Rias-san. They come from a very distant place, so please treat them with kindness and do not offend them. This warning is aimed specifically at you, Gobta."
Every monster turned their head to stare at Gobta.
"Lord Rimuru, you're being unfair!" Gobta stammered, trying his best to defend himself.
"I'm only trying to remind you—if you make them angry, even I won't be able to save your life." Rimuru's words sounded simple, yet they carried an weight that made every monster present shudder in fear.
Gobta swallowed hard. He took a secretive glance at Rias and was instantly captivated by her beauty. However, the moment his gaze drifted toward her chest, a hand reached out and covered his eyes.
Gobta turned and saw Issei, who had somehow appeared right beside him without a sound.
"U-um, are you the one called Issei-san?"
Issei nodded gently, then leaned down to whisper in Gobta's ear.
"Don't stare at my girlfriend for too long if you don't want to be erased from this world."
Gulp...
Gobta broke into a cold sweat. He let out a dry swallow and leaped backward as far as possible, desperately putting distance between himself and Issei.
Issei intentionally let a fraction of his magic power leak out. The surrounding space began to distort, and the weaker monsters felt an overwhelming, crushing pressure.
Rimuru turned pale and rushed toward Issei.
"That's enough! You're terrifying the others!" Rimuru stood in front of the weaker monsters, shielding them from the radiance of Issei's magic.
Issei fell silent for a moment before suppressing his power once again.
"I overdid it. My apologies."
Rimuru nodded, his expression remaining wary.
'Seriously, this guy's magic is on the same level as Veldora's,' Rimuru thought, a cold sweat trickling down his own back.
"Guahaha! Rimuru, who is this man? He is incredibly powerful—on par with a True Dragon!" Veldora appeared out of nowhere, standing boastfully in front of Issei.
"Veldora, I'm certain I explained it to you via Thought Transmission."
"Ah, really? I forgot."
Rimuru sighed helplessly. "Good grief."
Issei chuckled softly and introduced himself politely to Veldora.
"My name is Issei Hyoudou, and I come from the Other Side. This is my lover, Rias Gremory, who also hails from the Other Side."
Veldora stopped his posturing, contemplating the phrase that caught his attention.
"The Other Side?"
"Hah, never mind. I'll escort you both to the VIP guest house."
"We'll be in your care."
...
"Lord Rimuru, do they truly hail from the Other Side?" The question came from Shuna, the Oni princess who possessed the grace of a Yamato Nadeshiko.
"There is no doubt. They are definitely from the Other Side." Rimuru's expression was dead serious.
"This is just my assumption, but that man's power level might be even higher than Veldora-sama's," Benimaru added with a solemn tone.
Rimuru remained silent, consulting his skill for enlightenment.
"You're right. In a one-on-one fight, Veldora would surely lose. Not to mention, that man possesses a strange weapon called a Longinus."
"Longinus?" The gaze of the Tempest executives shifted toward Rimuru.
"A Longinus is a mythical weapon with the power to slay gods. Four out of the five people visiting this world are Longinus wielders, while that woman possesses a power of destruction that even I cannot ignore."
"It's hard to believe... is this information accurate?" Shion asked hesitantly.
"There's no mistake. Dino wouldn't joke about something like this."
"...That may be true, but—"
"Shion, remember my words: never provoke that man." Rimuru's expression was stern.
Shion jumped slightly, then nodded nervously.
Rimuru looked over at Gobta, who had been silent in the corner since the meeting began, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"Gobta, do you understand now why I warned you?"
Gobta nodded repeatedly like a broken toy.
Rimuru let out a light, weary sigh. "I just hope we can maintain a good relationship with him."
"..." The executives fell silent.
"Shuna, Rigurd—prepare the finest banquet for them."
"As you wish, Lord Rimuru."
"Understood, Lord Rimuru!"
...
Issei and Rias were relaxing under a tree at the summit of a hill.
"The other world is truly magnificent. I never expected monsters could live together in such peace," Rias said, her gaze fixed on Rimuru's city. Her expression suggested she was holding back deep emotion.
"Without the ability to gather allies, a city like this would be impossible to create."
Rias was silent for a moment before asking curiously, "You seem to hold Rimuru in very high regard?"
"I do. He really is amazing. If possible, I'd like to be his ally."
"...I'm sure he's thinking the same thing. Only a fool would oppose you after seeing what happened earlier."
Issei laughed softly. "That was exactly my intention."
Rias paused, then asked with a hint of realization, "Could it be that you did that on purpose?"
Issei offered a mysterious smile.
Rias chuckled softly, her voice tender. "As expected of my boyfriend."
Issei and Rias looked into each other's eyes, leaning in for a kiss under the great tree as a warm seasonal breeze brushed past them.
On the other side of the tree stood a pile of stones that resembled a grave. They noticed it, but chose to ignore it for now.
To be continued...Anvanced Chapter p*tre*n.com/AgamYupi02