Capítulo 30: Failed State
I walked to the edge of the village with Shizue and Gazef in toe. We looked over the ring of enemies who surrounded us from a distance. The magic casters from the Slane Theocracy very clearly noticed us but didn't break formation, as we were still quite far away.
"Sir Gazef. It seems they are using summoned angels as their main fighting unit. Do any of your soldiers possess weapons made of Mythril or know [Magic Haki]?" I aks.
I am genuinely curious about the changes to the timeline since Gazef is stronger than he would normally be when compared to existances like Shalltear or other formerly Level 100 Yggdrasil NPCs. Level 100 is roughly at the peak of Special A or low S ranking in this world, so Gazef, who is just barely below A- is way too close in strength when compared to his canonical self.
"Unfortunately, most humans can't learn [Magic Haki] as majin can, nor does this kingdom have the resources to spare for Mythril weapons to be common." He says, shaking his head with frustration.
"I see, well then, I'll just have to summon something to help us out." I say as we return to the village Wearhouse.
"What are you summoning, Momon?" Shizue asks curiously.
"Well Spirits are strong against Daemons, Angels are strong against Spirits, and Daemons are strong against Angels, summoning a high-level daemon is for the best," I say as we walk inside.
Gazef tenses to us for a brief moment before sighing to himself. Daemons are poplar summons due to how powerful they are, but they usually need some kind of compensation for their services, so he is wary of what the daemon will want in exchange. It would be best if he summoned a few dozen lesser daemons who will only ask for Magicules, but if he summons a high daemon or even an Arch Daemon, then he may ask for something they aren't willing to give up.
I smile as I begin the summoning. A certain red-pupiled, golden-eyed daemon has been peaking at me lately, so I figure it's time to summon him. I activate the summoning, supplying the circle with 25 times the normal magicules to exclude lesser and high daemons, only allowing for the summoning of Arch Daemons.
I sacrifice the dozens of fake knights I have in my stomach to it along with a body created by [Azura Mazda] for the Daemon to inhabit, just in case the primordial I am looking for doesn't show up. A violet glow illuminates the room and a spiral of black mist emerges from the center. After a second, the mist is pushed away by a burst of magicules, and the primordial of black stands before me, wings outstretched. He immediately chuckling to himself.
"Kehehehehe. What a splendid body you have given me to occupy, plus the bodies you've offered are of are superior quality! For my first job, it seems I have to give it my all!"
Shizue immediately draws her blade and Gazef rests his hand on the grip of his.
"Momon! I've encountered this daemon before! Be very careful!" She says as she takes a stance.
"Ah yes. Shizue was it? It's an honor meeting you again after so long. The last time was the Kingdom of Filtwood if I'm not mistaken..." The daemon says as he pretends to be thinking or recalling something.
"Filtwood!?! The kingdom that Shizue-dono saved by killing the Arch Daemon disguised as the king!?!" Gazef asks in disbelief.
"Yeah... this one was there too" Shizue says.
"Well, let us end the reunion here why don't we. It seems my summoner has sensed it too..." the daemon says as he looks at my watching the Theocraciy's forces from the window slowly begin marching inwards, tightening their circle.
"In a few minutes, they will be here. Daemon. Your job is to eliminate them all. If you wish to continue your servitude after that, then report to my superior, the Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest!"
"Your superior huh...?" Diablo says before smirking and vanishing. He obviously would have caught onto my meaning of trying to be stealthy.
"I should go too. I have to have some words with Nigun Grid Luin!" Shizue said ash she placed her mask over her face and ran out the door straight to the Theocracy's leader.
Gazef and I walk outside and I create a magic barrier over the village, visibly this time, so that everyone will know that I did it. I look at Gazef and toss him a pendant. It's similar to the one Ainz had, though the difference is that it won't swap places, but instead, teleport Gazef to me if he's about to fall.
"Take this. I must stay here to maintain the barrier." I say to which he nods and mounts his horse.
Gazef and his company charge out of the barrier towards the other lines as the villagers all gather around me.
"Lord Momon? Why is the Head Warrior leaving us?" One of the women asks.
"It seems all this was simply a ploy to draw out the Head Warrior. If not, they would never have come to this village." I as, further fueling the flames of discord even more.
The villagers began openly cursing the kingdom even more. I decided that I could start the Re-Estize Revolt sooner than I expected, then turned back to watch the battles unfold. Future Diablo was effortlessly wiping out the Sunlight Scriptures summons and summoners in moments. I noticed that he would always stop to claim their souls before moving onto the next one.
Shizue is already fighting the Dominion Authority that Nigun summoned and she destroys it in one move with [Demon Fire], a type of fire she got from her Ultimate Skill [Vulcan]. She then slowly walks towards Nigun as he turns to flee for his life. Sadly, he is running directly towards Gazef's charging soldiers.
I make sure to save his soul with [Samsara] and allow his physical body to be trampled to death by the calvary unit. I was slightly disappointed, since I wanted to fight some of them, but they all gave up on their mission as soon as they started losing. There were more than enough of them to have attacked my barrier and I could have tried fighting them with my restraints, but they are apparently all cowards.
No wonder they are the weakest Scripture. I glance at the Thousand League Astrologer's observation spell and give her a wink before signing openly. I won't counter-attack like Ainz did, but instead, I'll troll the girl who is probably panicking right now that she was detected.
I disable the barrier only a few minutes after the fighting finished, 'just in case' for the villagers to feel safe before leaving them as they yell their thanks from behind me. I summon Hamsuke when we are out of sight from the village.
I could have given Enri the Horn of the Goblin General before I left, but the goblins that would have spawned wouldn't be eligible for naming or evolution and since everyone from the village survived, they won't need the extra labor or protection.
I ride Hamsuke up to Gazef who simply sighs to himself at the sight of me riding a Disaster-Class being as a mount. He has probably received so many shocks about me that he is all tuckered out. At some point, Shizue appears and begins cuddling the hamster.
"Momon-dono! We are victorious, easily thanks to you, and with minimal casualties!" He says smiling happily to himself.
Indeed, only two people were hurt in his platoon, and some potions Gazef personally carried were enough to heal them back up.
"What do you plan to do now, Sir Stronoff?" I ask.
"If you could, I'd escort you to the capital city! I'm sure the King would love to meet with you." He says.
"It's getting late though, so I assume you want to spend the night in the village?" Shizue asks.
"No. I couldn't possibly bring them more trouble. We should ride to E-Rantel. It's only two hours from here on horseback and the accommodations would be much better." He says.
I nod and we begin to depart. Future Diablo watches from the edge of the clearing as we leave before chuckling to himself and teleporting to Altair. The chaos of someone teleporting past the barriers and directly into the throne room of the Palace is a story for another time.
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After a few hours of travel, we made it to the city of E-Rantel. We are treated to a luxurious feast and numerous other entertainments, such as dancing with the maids and revelling with the soldiers when they began singing a traditional Re-Estize song about 'brothers in arms'. It was fun, and I only had to be saved from the various lesser noble ladies trying to seduce me by Shizue three times.
The next day, as we were leaving, I saw a very regal carriage approaching the walls. Inside, I sensed Solution Epsilon and Sebas Tian. Shalltear was also hiding in the shadows and I noticed her staring at me from the two blood-red orbs floating underneath. I nodded in their direction and they nodded in acknowledgement and continued with their mission. I had to stomp on the ground to give a warning to Shalltear, who abandoned her previous post of the carriage's secret guard and swapped to my shadow. She probably wanted to appear when I was alone, but there wouldn't be a time like that for a while.
After she left with a 'tsk', we also exited the gates. It would take us four days on horseback to get there, but after two hours, I stopped everyone and cast {Fly} on them and their horses so we could get there in a day.
The next morning, we floated down into the barracks district in Re-Estize City. Most of the troop thanked me, since they would get the extra three days they saved from traveling off work, and Gazef, Shizue, and I moved to what could only be described as a royal waiting room.
Since the King hadn't expected us back so soon, he was obviously very busy. In the meantime, I was accompanied by Princess Renner and Climb, who were trying to entertain us with small talk.
"My! So you two helped Sir Stronoff fight off those nasty Theocracy assassins! That must have been scary!" She said, faking concern for her fellow human.
"Not really, princess. It was an easy matter. We are happy to help!" Shizue said.
"If Lady Shizue says so, then it must be true! I have seen how strong you are before when I was young!" Climb said with a slight blush that didn't go unnoticed by Renner, who pretended to become grumpy.
"Hmph! Climb! Your praising Lady Shizue too much." She said as she turned her head away with a bloated cheek.
'She's good, I'll give her that...' I thought to myself as I watched Shizue and Climb panic and fumble around for their words while I quietly sipped tea.
I noticed the several maids were listening in from the other side of the door and some were using the {Messege} spell to communicate with their masters. For literally every maid to be a traitor, it really highlighted the overall failure of the royal family to secure their positions over the royalty.
Not only that, but I sensed a number of slaves working in the catacombs beneath the palace. Some were 'servicing' the guards and the First Prince was even 'enjoying' himself with three of them.
Considering that Slavery was illegal in the kingdom now, and the royal family's heir to the throne was continuing to practice it behind closed doors, I knew that the 'rot' of this kingdom had spread too far for it to be saved. I'd have to rip up the entire system by the roots and fully 'purge' the nobility here when I took over.
After about an hour, the King, second Prince, and Gazef arrived.
"Ah! Lord Momon, Lady Shizue Izawa. Pardon the wait. I was not expecting persons of your status to arrive." He said with a gracious look.
'Well, the old man is kind, but his kindness is part of the reason his kingdom is failing. He isn't ruthless enough to take the fight to the nobles who break the law, leading to more nobles doing it, since they won't be punished. Now, it has gone so far and so many are corrupt that if he makes the wrong move, or tries to enforce the laws the nobles themselves agreed to, he will spark a civil war,' I thought to myself while shaking his hand.
"No no! Thank you for seeing me! I came with no warning or notice after all!" I say.
"It is good to see you again, Your Majesty," Shizue says with a genuine smile.
We all sit together and discuss the attack and how to retaliate against the Theocracy. I inform him that I'll be staying in Re-Estize for a few weeks to convey how 'Lord Rimuru' should deal with the kingdom and whether or not it's worth allying with.
I can tell that the king is skeptical and he may try to 'convince' me to be more favorable since he was offering me to stay in the palace, but we declined. Shizue was 'hired' to be my guard, at least according to their assumption, so I said we would start out as adventurers in the guild back in E-Rantel. This would allow us to travel the kingdom and see 'how things really are' after all.
After the discussions, Climb asked Shizue for a practice match to try and increase his ability. Gazef and King Ramposa the Third both left when a maid interrupted and announced that the first prince, Barbro, had started trouble. The second Prince also left when Marquis Raeven came to discuss various things, such as the state of the royal and noble factions, and the news that would come from both Shizue and I 'officially unofficially' inspecting the kingdom.
As for the commotion the first Prince caused, well of course I knew that he just killed a high-ranking soldier who witnessed him sleeping with a slave. Normally, that wouldn't be such a big deal, but the slave was that soldier's kidnapped sister, so the soldier made a scene but was cut down in front of various other corrupt nobles and innocent soldiers who had gathered.
The guy is a genuine ass.
The King likely had to cover it up quickly before the 'Demon Lord's Evoy' learned of his failure as a father and ruler and began judging them as hopeless. Of course, my [Universal Detect] works in a very wide range around me and goes through all walls and wards, so I knew before even the King.
While Climb and Shizue were battling it out in the practice field, I stood next to the princess. She was beautiful by human standards, but monsters tend to be prettier when they get above B Rank, so she isn't up to my usual standards. Regardless, her political acumen and skill are useful, so I'll let her ride Climb like a train during rush hour if she'll work as the provincial governor of the region when I take it over.
'*I know your true nature. The fake smiles and practiced laughs. I know about your obsession and I am willing to help, so long as you are willing to listen*' I say with [Though Communication EX]. To her credit, she doesn't show any surprise other than widening her eyes for a brief moment.
'What do you want?' She thinks to herself, clearly knowing how my Skill works.
'*Simple. Although I won't show it, I've already made up my mind about the kingdom. Its doomed. We will invade in less than a year.*'
'You seem confident in your lord's ability. You'd have to get through Estonia, the Southern City States, and the Empire to even get here from Jura'
I have my ways. Also, I don't work for Rimuru Tempest, I am him*' I say. She widens her eyes again for a moment before continuing with her charade.
'I assume you are telling me this to get me to trust you? You know my secret and now I know yours. We have equal amounts of leverage against each other, though I guess you could always wipe me out if I refuse.'
'*Not really my style. I know you don't care about anyone else other than your precious Climb and that everything you do is simply an act to win his heart, however, your acting has made you extremely popular with the people in this region, thus making you useful.*'
'What do you want from me?'
'*During the next annual war, I, as the Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest, will devastate the kingdom. When I take over, you will become the governor.*'
'I see. This will serve a double purpose. It will show to the world that you accept women in official positions and allow women to climb the ranks and give you access to a higher and more skilled labor pool. It will also allow you to control the region using me as your puppet. Noone would rebel against me if I am installed as governor due to my popularity. Plus...' Renner looked at Climb and clenched her fists while holding the sides of her dress. 'Climb wouldn't even have time to run if I rebelled'
I simply smiled as we watched the C-ranked Climb desperately trying to fend off Shizue's casual strikes. He was giving it his all and had already received multiple 'love taps' while Shizue hadn't even removed her sword from her scabbard. Climb's instruction was the perfect show of force Renner needed to be loyal to me without being crested.
'I'll do it' Renner said.
Little did she know it, but this conversation, never even heard by another soul, would become the greatest decision she has ever made. Allowing her to be with her beloved in the very near future.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Golden_Slime
Golden_Slime All right everyone! Another chapter. Just this week and next week before my schedule clears up again and I can start writing more frequently.
I wanted to do more with Diablo, but I thought up a brilliant plan for him in the future. Stay tuned!
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