A City's Specialty
Devil Grucius is a wolfman.
Valued for his excellent espionage abilities, he was assigned a secret mission by the Demon Lord Karion.
He was remembering his words,
「Observe them but take care to go unnoticed; if you see any other devils, extend the invitation to the oni before them!」
Devils other than himself? When he asked about that, Karion added,
「Clayman and Milim will be sending one of their subordinates there.
Working together with them gives me the creeps, so do as I asked!」
He said, averting his gaze.
「Ah! Karion-sama! Why have you averted your gaze?
Could they be such troublesome opponents?」
Upon hearing this question, Karion was confused for a second, but his confusion quickly turned into a broad grin.
「I see! You haven't heard of Milim, have you! Is that how it is… I see, I see!
Alright! No problem, in that case. Regarding Milim's subordinate, or rather, the one who refers to oneself as her subordinate–do not go against her!
As long as she stays happy, all is good! But I have complete trust in you!」
So he said.
Grucius was thinking about the question he ardently tried to dismiss.
"Milim" most likely refers to Demon Lord Milim Nava. A famous demon lord that even Grucius has heard of.
She is indeed strong. By strength alone, she would be a match for Karion-sama; the worst case scenario–she would surpass him.
Her personality can be described with four words: short tempered, haughty, cruel, and egoistic. Nothing good is ever said about her.
However, why should he fear her subordinate?
It has been only 100 years since Grucius became a devil. So, he naturally did not know.
Not about Milim, at least–those rumors excluded.
Soon – when he reached the meeting place, to be precise – he quickly regretted his ignorance.
Devil Myulan was lamenting her misfortune.
Working with other Demon Lord's subordinates was bad enough. However, among them was Demon Lord Milim herself.
「I bear responsibility for that outcome…」
Demon Lord Clayman said,
「But I don't have any disposable pawns other than yourself.
Had I not lost Gelmudo, I would have sent him, but…
Nothing we can do about that, right? He went and died!」
No further discussion would be held on this topic.
Demon Lord Clayman.
Nicknamed Marionette Master. Someone who manipulates friends and subordinates like dolls.
For him, the aforementioned matter is set in stone.
And though Myulan was just called a disposable pawn, she lacked the willpower to retort.
She had no choice but to accept.
The demon lord named Milim she knew all too well.
So Demon Lord Clayman gave her one order.
Stall the other demon lords and find about their weaknesses!
Just that much.
Since Milim was involved in this case, any further activity would be impossible.
Myulan agreed.
Demon Lord Milim is by no means stupid. She is called short tempered and impudent, but that is not true.
Moreover, she possesses an abnormal perception, so fooling her would prove difficult.
Thus, it would be best to not try to slip anything past her.
But Myulan had no reason to be vigilant towards Milim's subordinate.
And yet she was still on her guard against Milim.
She understood why she should stay vigilant, Demon Lord Clayman had conveyed it to her a little while ago.
Chances are, Demon Lord Karion also knew.
The reason was,
「Oh, so you would be my comrades, huh? I am Demon Lord Karion's subordinate Grucius!」
「Pleased to meet you, I am Demon Lord Clayman's Myulan!」
「I'm Milim!」
Milim's subordinate was nowhere to be found.
That's how it was.
And thus, the three gathered at the rendezvous point.
＊ ＊ ＊
The treaty between the Dwarf Kingdom and the Monsters' Country essentially testified bilateral cooperation.
The fact that their two representatives signed the treaty ascertains its validity.
Could a treaty between two countries be established this easily? Since that exceeds my knowledge, I asked,
「Hmm? That's not a problem. Since I swear by the gods, spirits, and sacred ancestors, I cannot falsely sign.
And you aren't a human, are you?
Through the contract's authority, should you lie, you'd be erased, you know?」
and received such a nonsensical response. So, I asked『Great Sage』for an explanation.
Apparently, monsters can't lie. I was completely oblivious to that very important fact.
We cannot convey what we believe to be a lie. However, that does not mean we can't fool people.
Omitting facts, for example, or leading them to believe something by revealing only specific facts.
However, in case of contracts, lying through the aforementioned methods becomes essentially impossible.
Well, if you can talk yourself out of the lie then no problem; but if you publicly declare a lie, your existence will be erased.
It's a rule pertaining to every monster.
However, monsters born through birth are not always bound by this rule, and sometimes capable of telling lies.
Goblins can lie freely. On the other hand, high monsters and demons exemplify this rule, and are famous for being bound by contracts.
Demons don't tell lies. Although they are often called sly, they are actually a rather pure race.
And when people come to believe this they grow negligent, and a demon comes to snatch away their soul…
「Even though you're a monster, you didn't know this? Rimuru, aren't you strange…」
「I've been born not too long ago. I'm still in the process of learning?」
「Is that so… well, whatever. Please don't accidentally erase your entire country after I went to the trouble of recognizing it!
Your rule assures the safety of the entire forest. I beg you!」
「Well, we've just finished building this city, and we don't intend to lose it; so, we'll do our best!」
And thus, we signed the treaty into effect.
I still don't know all of this world's alphabet, but I can at least write my name. I learned that much when I was bored.
The moment I wrote my name, the document began to glow and split into two.
The paper, it seems, was made by the Ghost Researchers. To annul it, you would need to burn both of the copies at the same time.
However, as long as the other party is living, destroying the document is impossible. It would merely restore itself to how it was before.
We tried that once, and it was exactly as they said.
Thus the contract was complete. This contract should be kept between the two countries. And while openly declaring it is not a problem per se, it kind of defeats its purpose.
There is no need to let the world know about it.
The Dwarf King accepts his copy, pleased.
「I'll also leave this to you!」
He said, and took out a crystal as large as a fist.
When I accepted it,
「That's a communication crystal. Ask Bester about its installation.
Use it in case of an emergency. And stay in good health!」
He explained, and saddled the Pegasus.
And, looking at Bester,
「Bester, you should research to your heart's content here!」
「King! This time, I will live up to your expectations!!!」
He said and nodded at the response.
「Farewell!」
He added, and flew off.
He suddenly came, and hurriedly left.
Just like a storm.
「Hey, Kaijin, is it okay for your country to have such a… free willed individual as a king?」
「Who knows… but, he's ruled for many hundreds of years, and has plenty of achievements, so it should be fine!
But never in my time in the court have I seen him move around so selfishly…」
「Oh well! I'm the last person who can criticize him!」
Right, I too am planning to run off to some human village.
I'm not planning to say something that will limit my ability to move around.
Leaving the conversation at that, we left the clearing.
The treaty documents I deposited into my stomach.
Since our defenses aren't perfect as of yet, having it stolen would make for a poor story.
"Would it reappear if I were to lose it?" is an experiment I will not conduct.
And thus, we successfully established a treaty with the Dwarf Kingdom.
Now then, it's about time I consider the lesson Gazelle taught me yesterday–
「Rimuru-dono, Kaijin-dono, I humbly beg your forgiveness! Would it be possible for me to work here?」
Bester interrupted my thoughts.
Now that he mentions it, he did almost entrap us… I had completely forgotten.
「I'll be frank, can you follow my orders?
I forbid discrimination against any race of monsters! Are you okay with that?」
「Of course. I have reflected on my mistakes. In the first place, it has lead me to feel envious of Kaijin-dono…
I will not repeat that mistake!
I want to do continue my beloved research with all my strength; I would never betray that wish!」
「As for me, I would only benefit from an excellent researcher!
If anything were to happen, I'll take responsibility for him.
So, Rimuru-danna, please forgive him!」
Kaijin said so.
Well, rather than me, it would be you, Kaijin, who would be troubled…
「Well, if you're fine with it Kaijin, I have no complaints.
Pleased to have you, Bester!」
Thus, Bester became our new comrade.
And because he became our new comrade, we made a discovery which came to be our city's specialty.
＊ ＊ ＊
Worst day ever.
How many sighs has the devil Grucius suppressed until now?
Remembering Demon Lord Karion's broad grin only evoked anger.
He knew, that bastard. Actually, no–I should have known myself. So he thought.
Worst day ever.
Who would have guessed that riding on his back would be a demon lord herself?
Worst day ever.
The moment they met,
「Hey, shorty. How dare you call yourself with a demon lord's name?
I won't tell your master, so name yourself at once!」
He had said.
And the second he said it, he was knocked unconscious.
Grucius lamented his misfortune.
In the first place, he had never seen the Demon Lord Milim.
Having beautiful, glossy blond hair tied in twin tails, and a short stature, anyone would mistake her for some random kid.
No one would expect her to be extremely strong.
Though she was making a really cute face, the moment he called her a shorty, her expression changed.
Her round eyes immediately turned sharp, and her lips twisted into a cruel smile.
Then, his consciousness faded.
After getting hit a second time, he was out cold; and that brings us to the present situation.
The other devil Myulan ignored him.
Worst day ever.
Grucius was reflecting. Not to judge a devil by their looks is common sense, so why did he commit such a grave error…
Myulan must have known.
Right before Grucius was hit he saw her eyes open wide, as if screaming: what the hell you saying, idiot?!
He would probably say the same thing had he known…
Worst day ever.
If only… if only he was told about this…
However, he was told not to go against whoever would call herself as Milim's subordinate.
But who would have thought that she wouldn't call herself a subordinate but openly name herself…?
Is Milim honest to a fault? No, it was too late to have such thoughts.
Since then, Grucius made sure to never judge a devil by their cover!
And, now.
He's in his wolf form, running through the forest.
Thanks to his regenerative abilities, he somehow endured.
After getting knocked around, he was then ordered to let her ride. Of course, he never even considered refusing.
Myulan is running by his side.
For the devils, this much wouldn't tire them at all.
And thus, the three came upon a certain city.
＊ ＊ ＊
We've been busy continuing developing our restorative medicine.
Well, I doubt you can call trying to lower its performance "development", however.
Could we dilute a single restorative pill (98% purity) with ten times the amount of water to create a high class (60%) medicine?
We tried to so, but it proved impossible. It turned into low grade (20%) medicine.
If you used a high quality pill, the purity would only go up by 10%.
And then, Bester made an unexpected discovery.
He had wanted to see our hipokte grass farm, so I guided him to the Cave of the Seal.
He was scared of riding the star wolf at first, but quickly got used to it.
And thus, we entered the cave. Gabil welcomed us at the entrance and showed us in.
After observing our cultivation, Bester went to look at the underground lake.
「Rimuru-dono, hipokte grass can be cultivated due to the high magic energy density of this lake, right?
So what if we tried diluting the restorative pill not with normal water, but with this water?」
I see, we should test his theory at once!
And so we did. We were able to produce medium grade (40%) medicine.
Of course, with a high quality pill, the purity rose to 50%.
How wonderful. A great success.
We also tested just how much we could dilute it; from a single pill we could create 20 medium grade medicines.
Nodding to Kaijin, I gave him a high five.
We succeeded.
The first specialty of Monsters' City Tempest.
And that's how we made it.
Bester seemed like he was having a lot of fun handling the grass with Gabil.
Perhaps they are rather compatible.
「Huh, aren't you chummy. Bester, how about we make you a room here?」
I had meant it as a joke, but
「Would you really?! To think that I would also be permitted to reside in this cave.
It has the perfect atmosphere for (mad) science experiments!」
He said, his eyes sparkling.
「Are you sure? There are B+ rank Centipedes around here, you know?」
「Hmph. No problem.
I may not look it, but I've indulged in sorcery, and am rather good at it!」
I looked at Kaijin, and he was shaking his head. A lie?
「As long as you don't regret it. We'll be preparing a room for you!」
「No problem, I said! Gabil-dono is here, after all!」
I see, if Gabil is here, Bester won't be attacked, huh.
Satisfied,
「Gabil, can I leave Bester to you?」
「Please do! I am here, and I will also assign two of my subordinates!」
How reliable he has gotten.
I still worry about him getting a big head, but I guess he was strong to begin with.
But he seems to have calmed down recently, and gets along with Bester pretty well, so I should just leave it to him.
And so, we had built Bester's research lab in the cave.
Gabil had two of his subordinates guard the room in the cave, and the result was actually rather pleasant.
If this is to become his lab, we probably don't need to include any life necessities.
But, we do need to figure out how he will be making the trip to the cave all the time.
While I was thinking these things,
「Rimuru-dono, can I set up a magic circle here?
It would be difficult to create inside these doors, but it is possible outside.
Should I set it up?」
I had mentioned before that I want to have a magic circle at the place where I defeated the black snake.
A〈Transportation Magic System〉circle, to be precise. If you write two identical circles, you can move between them.
Well, I guess it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that I'm coming to like sorcery. Kaijin was also surprised, hearing Bester explain this.
Thus, as long as monsters won't be appearing in the middle of our village, I decided to permit it.
Bester then drew a circle inside his house and another inside the cave. And thus, he solved the transportation problem.
But wow, transportation circles are convenient.
Of course, I had him immediately teach me.
And, after Gabil and the rest also learned it, we were able to move easily between the city and the cave.
Bester is an unexpectedly useful dwarf.
As for the guy himself, he was just engrossed fantasizing about all the research he will do.
Since I left some restorative pills and demon steel with him, he can continue researching those on his own.
I've also introduced him to Kurobee and Shuna, which started another long conversation.
Rather than politics, this guy is made for science.
He seemed very boring when he was obsessed with political power.
I guess it corrupts you.
But truly, people should be doing whatever they enjoy. As long as that doesn't cause trouble for others!
And so, after spending some time with Bester, he naturally became one of our comrades.
＊ ＊ ＊
Ending his meditation, he opened his eyes.
In the middle of a dimly lit room of a high class inn, the Dwarf King sat.
One that the Espionage Department's leader stayed at–using an alias, of course.
The King laughed. It's been a long time since he's had such an interesting experience.
「King, are you in good health?」
Suddenly, a shadow appeared nearby.
He knew right away–it was one of his spies.
The fact that he slipped out of the palace and was now here probably caused a great commotion at the palace.
In the first place, he has a hundred people as his personal guard, for them to have let someone in or out undetected is simply preposterous.
They needed to be retrained, so the King thought.
「No problem!」
He answered briefly.
There could have been no problems. Then, though it's been a long time since he last used this skill, he used『Spirit Possession』on the spy.
And, let the Espionage Leader know,
(You will return to the Royal Capital, taking the Pegasus with you! Disappear into the shadows as you always do after that)
(Ay! As you command!)
A typical exchange.
His trusted confidant, Espionage Department's leader.
With a same face and the same body. A clone created by the Ghost Researchers.
That was a secret shared only between the two of them.
Unlike towards a stranger, the King could perfectly use『Spirit Possession』on this spy.
In case of some emergency, this was his trump card.
The Dwarf King Gazelle Dwargo was remembering yesterday's match with the slime.
That slime will become very strong…
Just with reaction speed alone he was able to receive my sword.
Gazelle did not intend to hit the sword out of Rimuru's hands. He intended to land a hit on Rimuru's head.
And that hit, whether he fell behind with the attack or not, Rimuru was able to react to.
How amusing, he though from the bottom of his heart.
What will become of this treaty, he did not know.
However…
Don't disappoint me, Slime Rimuru!
Gazelle felt the approaching end of the era of peace.