Part 2, Chapter 2: Zealotry and Diplomacy
Rimuru POV
Descending from the clouds, I check the map that Milim drew for me, comparing the natural features I can see with the ones marked. A lake, a very steep mountain…
“Is this the place?” I ask myself.
There’s supposed to be a city here, but apparently it’s pretty easy to miss.
Circling around the mountain since the city doesn’t appear to be on this side, I manage to find what must be the place; a small city by the lake, and a colossal temple carved into the cliff face.
Small wooden houses litter the landscape, neatly built but without any excessive flourishes besides a crimson finish on the roof tiles. The minimalism in this city is clear, because it seems to be well-built, but without any further effort than that.
This is the Forgotten Dragon City, a place built by Milim’s worshippers. It’s “her territory” in the sense that it’s a place where she’ll always be welcome and treated as divinity, a nice home-base she can operate out of; but as easily-bored as she is, she’s never really lived in this place full-time nor made efforts to govern it.
Changing into human form and alighting on the ground just outside town, I reabsorb my wings, and assess my objectives.
For now I only have two: Tell Middray about the situation concerning Milim and Tempest, and stay here for a week. That last one seemed to be decided on a whim, but maybe it’s to get me to understand how these people live, the same way she wanted Stella to understand how Tempestians live. I’ve gotten the impression that she sometimes struggles to deal with these people and she might simply want my perspective.
As I enter, I’m almost immediately noticed by the townsfolk, likely because all of them are wearing the same garb which means that my clothing clearly marks me as an outsider.
“Welcome to our humble town, traveller. What brings you here?” politely asks the first person to greet me.
“I’ve been given a message to send to Father Middray. Would you lead me to him?”
Father Middray cuts an imposing figure, to say the least. If someone told me this guy eats boulders for breakfast, I’d probably believe them. It doesn’t help that my small stature means he towers over me.
“G-greetings, Father Middray. I have been sent here as an envoy of Lady Milim.”
I offer a handshake, but Middray leaves his hand on his chin contemplatively.
“An envoy, you say? This is most unusual. Where has Lady Milim sent you from?”
“She is currently residing in a recently-established town in the Great Jura Forest, not far from the Sealed Cave.”
The man by Middray’s side, whom I recognize as Hermes from Milim’s description, has a look of surprise.
“Isn’t that exactly where you sent Stella?” he asks Middray.
“I met Stella and she said something like that,” I say in answer to Hermes’s question. “She ran pretty much straight into Lady Milim, her luck must be astronomical.”
Middray gives a hearty laugh. “Hahahaha! Fortune must be smiling on her for the faith and devotion she has shown. But why is it you telling me this, rather than Stella?”
“It’s complicated, so I hope this letter explains.”
I give Middray a letter that Milim asked me to pass on to him.
“Heya Middray! I found this cool slime in the Jura Forest who made a nation called the Jura Tempest Federation, so I took it over and made him my subordinate! I’ll come back and visit eventually but I’m having lots of fun and the food here is really great, so for now I’ll just send Rimuru over for a week. I’ve asked that girl Stella to stay here for a while, the folk in Tempest really know how to have a good time so I want her to learn how they live!
- Milim Nava
P.S. I’ll leave it up to Hermes to make sure Rimuru is looked after. Also, Rimuru is my friend, so Middray is forbidden from being mean to him!”
“It’s a little confusingly worded. Who’s Rimuru meant to be, or the ‘cool slime’ for that matter?” Hermes asks.
“There’s nothing confusing about it!” Middray firmly states. “You simply don’t understand Lady Milim’s words.”
“Oh, I’m the slime Rimuru Tempest,” I quickly say before these two get into an argument. “I have this human form which is useful for a lot of things, but my true form is this.”
I reveal my slime form to them, and hop up onto the nearest elevated surface.
“It’s kinda cute… No wonder you earned Lady Milim’s favour, she often brings home small critters raving about how adorable they are,” Hermes comments with a smirk.
Urk… I hope that’s not the reason.
“Hey, for the record, it was my strength that drew her attention. She reckons I could have become a Demon Lord one day if it wasn’t for her,” I boast with my tiny slime arms crossed.
Middray looks a little impressed by this. “Not bad. Earning Lady Milim’s approval is the first — and often last — test that would-be Demon Lords go through. Far too many are driven by nothing more than a carnal lust for power, only to find themselves on the sharp end of Asura rather than a seat in the Demon Lord council.”
I try my best to pay attention to Middray’s words and ignore Hermes’s obvious efforts to suppress his laughter.
“Well, I didn’t actually have any plans to become a Demon Lord, so I’m not bothered about losing the opportunity. Besides, living under the rule of Lady Milim means more safety for my people, and that’s what’s important to me.”
It feels a little weird going back to calling Milim “Lady Milim”, but I’m not so stupid as to introduce myself to her worshippers while disregarding the status of their goddess.
Middray grins and claps his hands together. “This news you have brought us calls for a feast!”
Hermes is brought back to his senses real fast by that. “Wait a minute Father Middray, I’m not sure that’s the best idea!”
Milim has strongly implied that there’s an issue with the cuisine here, right? If even one of their own priests is trying to dissuade serving their food to me, the situation’s gotta be real bad, so I’m out!
“Ah, yeah, as a slime I don’t really need to eat anyway so…” I say in an attempt to excuse myself from the feast.
“Hermes, be silent, you are being rude to our guest. Rimuru, you have a human form, so you can enjoy food right?”
“Well, I can, but-”
“Then it’s settled, we’ll have a feast to celebrate Lady Milim’s new endeavours!”
There’s good days, and there’s days when you have to eat raw vegetables and pretend to like it so as not to offend the numerous people watching you.
“Mmm, that’s-” Crunch “-Very… fresh…” I say with a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes as I bite into a sweet potato, which isn’t sweet at all when it’s not even cooked first.
Is this seriously what they’ve been serving Milim all this time? The poor girl, I’m surprised she puts up with it…
I make a firm resolve to avoid further meals with these people at all costs.
As Hermes is leading me to my room, he breaks into an apology once we’re away from anyone else.
“I am deeply sorry for that, Sir Rimuru. I’ve travelled around and know that no one else eats this way, as well as that cooking food makes it far more edible and palatable.”
“It’s not your fault, but… you do realize that Lady Milim hates eating like this, right? In Tempest she acts like she hates a lot of vegetables, only to love them when they’re served to her, and now I see why: It’s because they’re being served to her cooked in Tempest.”
“Believe me, I would love nothing more than to treat her to the finest meals that cooking can offer; but as worshippers of the creator’s daughter, our doctrine is that things should be enjoyed in their natural form, as they were created.”
They reckon Milim is the creator’s daughter? I ought to learn a bit more about this religion, that sound like an interesting notion indeed.
I give a curious hum. “Even so, why would Lady Milim be subject to such restrictions? It sounds clearly contradictory to the will of the one you worship.”
“It’s easy for you to see, because you’ve had the chance to see Lady Milim outside of this city, seeing her live her life as she wishes. For the people here, myself included, we’ve only seen her while she’s in the role of our deity. If she’s discontent here, then we don’t know what her being content is like.”
At least this guy seems to know what he doesn’t know. Perhaps he’s asking himself questions, where others haven’t.
“So I’m the only person here who’s seen her in a normal setting? I wonder what it looks like when she’s playing deity…”
That last comment seems to pique Hermes’s interest. “This might seem like an odd thing to ask, but does Tempest regard Lady Milim as a goddess? You don’t have to say yes, I’m simply curious as to what relationship she has with her subjects.”
I shake my head. “The word ‘goddess’ hasn’t come up even once. Our capital is new and small enough that a social ladder hasn’t formed yet, and there isn’t much difference between how the leaders and the masses live. She seems content with a fairly humble lifestyle though, even if she isn’t a humble person.”
“So, you say that Lady Milim is content the way she’s living now?”
Ah, he brought up that word earlier, it seems like an important question to him.
“She’s laughing, playing, and getting along with everyone pretty well. She doesn’t get much work done as a leader, because she’s always running off to have fun. So I’d say she’s content,” I happily conclude.
Hermes gives a bittersweet smile. I know what it means, he’s happy to hear that Milim is happy, but it also means that the Dragon Faithful have been neglecting her needs this whole time.
“You said that she’s content with a fairly humble lifestyle, right? It’s not too surprising… I remember an incident a long time ago when Lady Milim offered to help work the fields during the planting season, but was turned down as no one wished for our goddess to sully herself by working in the dirt. Not long after, we found her wearing the Dragon Faithful garb with her hair down, attempting to blend in amongst everyone else. At that point we just had to let her join in since she was clearly unhappy about being turned down the first time. That was what made me realize us priests don’t always act in her best interests.”
“Reminds me of the time that the dryad Treyni cried because I forgot to invite her to plant the fields with us. But at least she was able to join us for the harvest, as well as Lady Milim. I can’t imagine just sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else work, it sounds like it’d get lonely.”
“See! That’s what a lot of the priests don’t get. They keep putting Lady Milim in situations that they themselves would be uncomfortable in, but they can’t see it because they have an idea in their heads of what a goddess should be. And then when she inevitably starts lashing out, they refuse to see anything wrong with her behaviour. It’s honestly a huge relief to be able to talk to someone about this without feeling like I’m walking on eggshells.”
“I’m starting to get how you feel. It feels so uncomfortable to have to regard her in such a lofty way when I’m used to treating her more like an equal, she even said I shouldn’t address her with a title since we’re friends. I can see why she’s put off coming back here for so long, it just seems so stifling.”
Hermes has a slight look of sadness at that comment. “Well then, Rimuru. Would you be willing to help mend the connection between Lady Milim and the Dragon Faithful?”
I grin at the request. “I’ve got a week to spend here, so something productive to do is just what I wanted!”
**Two Days Later**
A couple of days into my stay, I’m feeling a bit more familiar with this strange place.
One of the first things I noticed is that this society is shockingly uniform. There’s no concept of personal wealth, and everyone wears the same thing without even gender distinction. I asked someone about why the Dragon Faithful choose to live with such uniformity, and her answer was: “All are humbled in the face of absolute power. We find peace in that fact rather than denying it.”
I’m now wearing the Dragon Faithful garb myself, as a set was left for me in my room, perhaps they assumed that I hadn’t packed a change of clothing since they can’t see all the stuff I’m carrying with Gluttony, but it might also be that I’m expected to wear it.
It’s at least comfortable, if your entire society only makes one set of clothing then they’ll be well practiced at it. Though back on Earth I once heard that Christian monks wore intentionally uncomfortable unclothing, so it could have very well been a lot worse.
When I started wearing it I was immediately treated very differently. Foreign clothing draws a lot of attention here since it’s noticed at a glance and travellers rarely come to this place. In Dragon Faithful garb, while I doubt I’d pass for a local under any real scrutiny, people at least assume I’m one at first so I’ve been able to get a taste of the local lifestyle.
It’s interesting because it’s new to me, but it certainly isn’t for me. I’m too used to a fast-paced life, and there’s no way I can find spiritual fulfillment in the religious worship of a goofball like Milim. I had to focus on other things during a sermon just so I wouldn’t giggle at how silly it all feels.
Though, even after attending a sermon, I’m still clueless about one thing:
“I’ve been wondering, what in particular makes you choose to worship Milim?” I ask Middray, approaching him in a hall of the main temple. “She’s insanely strong, but so are others. So it’s not just her strength, right?”
“Hmm… You actually could say that it’s because of her strength that we worship her, as her strength hints at a greater truth.”
“A greater truth?”
“I’ll explain it to you the long way. Do you understand the relationship between power and reproduction?”
“As the governor of a nation of monsters, I know that stronger monsters live longer lives, have less kids, and can be weakened by having kids. I can’t say much more than that.”
Middray nods. “It is similar for all beings in this world. Those who humans would classify as ‘Disaster’ and ‘Catastrophe’ in terms of strength have either existed since time immemorial, or they have acquired that strength gradually. No one is born that powerful, because that would require them to inherit strength from an even more powerful parent, which isn’t something that should be able to happen.”
What’s this guy getting at? Wait a second…
“Hang on, isn’t Milim born powerful though? She hasn’t existed since time immemorial, and it sounds like she was always powerful.”
“Hahaha! So you see the contradiction! Lady Milim is a being on par with the True Dragons, perhaps even greater as the depths of her power are unknowable. Little information exists about her parentage or the time before she became a Demon Lord, but yes, she was born that powerful. So what does that say of Lady Milim’s parentage?”
“If they’re more powerful than Milim… at least one of her parents must have practically been a god, right?”
Middray’s grin tells me that I’ve precisely followed his line of thinking. “For this reason amongst others, we firmly believe that Lady Milim is a gift to this world from its creator, and as such she carries divine authority.”
Frankly I don’t know what to say, I’m a little blown away by all this. It seems like something I should think about for myself rather than take at face value, but this guy’s reasoning seems sound.
Later in the day, as I’m further contemplating this information, I remember that Velzard called herself Milim’s aunt. Unless that’s an adoptive term, then one of Milim’s parents numbers amongst the four True Dragons, which makes perfect sense given how many of the terms associated with Milim are dragon-related. I guess one of the True Dragons is the “god” that Middray referred to, one presumably stronger than all the other True Dragons.
Although… There’s a problem with that idea. It’s plain as day that Milim’s parents are long-gone, probably very early into Milim’s life as she seems practically self-raised given how she’s very capable in some ways yet severely lacking in common sense and self-control. But Veldora told me that True Dragons never truly die, so was that false and a True Dragon actually died? Or maybe her parents just scarpered off to who-knows-where.
Perhaps this isn’t something I should look into. I don’t have any reason to know beyond curiosity, and probably the only people I could ask are Milim, Guy, and Velzard; I’d feel terrible bringing up such a touchy topic with Milim, while Guy and Velzard are very scary and might do terrible things to me for asking.
I’m sure Veldora will gladly answer these questions for me, but it’ll be a long time before we’re reunited; so for now, I’ll just chalk it up as a mystery and go on with my day.
Daily combat rituals are a key part of local religious observation. The idea is that a strong and healthy body allows one to be closer to the goddess and walk her path for longer.
It may sound a little silly, but local lifespans are well above Great Sage’s estimate for dragonewts thanks to a lifetime devotion to the art of combat. Middray himself is nearly as old as Milim and still looks like he’s in his prime.
As a slime, I can’t build up a stronger and healthier body, as even in my human form there’s no such thing as strengthening my muscles since under the skinlike façade it’s just blue liquid. My physical condition is simple to the point of being like an RPG character; I have health expressible as a single number, and I can receive status effects, but that’s all.
But I still take part in these rituals as part of trying to understand the way these people live.
*WHAM*
I cross my arms to block a stunningly powerful dropkick from Hermes, causing me to skid backwards. While one would expect him to fall over, he is so well disciplined in martial arts that he can perfectly use Instant Movement even from this awkward position.
So before I’ve even regained my traction, Hermes is coming from above and behind me with an elbow drop; it’s an efficient combination of moves, since as long as he can spatially displace himself, a drop kick naturally flows into an elbow drop.
Fortunately, Great Sage gives me plenty of time to get out of this trap. Hermes has aimed his attack at the point where I’ll regain my traction, but I can warp physics a bit; using Gravity Manipulation, I skid back further than he expected and grab his ankle, then simply fling him straight up into the air.
Let’s see how this martial arts master does off the ground! … Oh.
Turns out this guy has wings.
“That was a clever move, but forcing me into the air doesn’t exactly leave me helpless, I’m perfectly comfortable up here. So what’s your plan?” Hermes asks, hovering above me.
“If it’s comfortable up there, then I guess I’ll join you!”
A kick off the ground, a beat of mimicked wings, and a jolt of Gravity Manipulation are all used at once to fling myself at Hermes fast enough that I’m able to punch him in the gut while he’s off guard.
These casual bouts usually last until one person manages to land a serious blow, so I stop there.
“You good?” I ask.
“Heh. I didn’t expect you to be able to do that, but I caught the worst of it with my chi.”
He blocked it with chi, huh? Man, our skill gap in hand-to-hand combat is huge, we’re evenly matched in it despite all the strength and skills I have at my disposal. I’d better not make an enemy of that Middray guy, he might be able to beat me up even if I used weapons and magic.
We go on for another few rounds, and it feels almost like I’m fighting Great Sage; he seems so calm and collected as he fights that it would appear he can do all this without even thinking. Given that he’s been sparring daily for who knows how many years, that’s probably the case.
“Man, what a workout. You’re clearly not used to fighting with your body, but you hit hard,” Hermes comments after we finish.
“I’m more of a student of the sword myself, so I suppose I wouldn’t be used to this kind of fighting.”
“Even so, it’s probably worthwhile to learn as the skills are transferrable.”
“Well, I’m sure that eventually some Dragon Faithful will choose to migrate to Tempest and bring some of their customs over, so it could be fun to join in their sparring when that happens.”
“You’re that confident it will happen in the future? What exactly is this Tempest place to you?”
“Hmm… you could say that it’s an invitation to the entire world to try and make life as good as we possibly can. Everyone is welcome, and we’re doing whatever we can to maximize international trade, so that as many things as possible can be enjoyed in one place!”
“It sounds like it couldn’t be further from how we live, personally it sounds a little offputting. Being free from want of excess is a greater happiness than having excess. But perhaps some of the Dragon Faithful will indeed choose to live there if we open ourselves to new ideas.”
Ah, it sounds like even Hermes draws a line with his progressive ideals… I guess I shouldn’t forget his goal is to mend issues in the faith rather than steamroll it entirely, he’s still one of the Dragon Faithful at the end of the day.
Before I can say anything more, Hermes says “I’d love to keep talking, but do you want to take this elsewhere? I know a place that you might be interested in.”
“Oh? Lead the way, then.”
Hermes leads me into a storehouse, and knocks on a section of planked wall.
“Your purpose?” a voice utters from behind.
“To seek treasures from beyond the veil,” Hermes answers.
“Your desires?”
“Unchained by irrational thought.”
What is this, a secret cult within the religion?
The section of wall swings open, turning out to actually be a secret door leading to what appears to be…
“A restaurant?!” I exclaim.
“Since the practice is forbidden by current doctrine, this is a secret establishment where we study the culinary arts. So, yes, you could call it a restaurant.” Hermes explains.
“You’ve brought a child with you, I see,” nonchalantly observes the woman who let us in, currently the only other person in the room. “Are you sure it’s okay to let her know about this place? It won’t stay secret for long if you aren’t careful about who you tell.”
“He’s fine, Agnes. This is Rimuru, a traveller. He’s from abroad so cooking is nothing new to him.”
“Oh, my apologies Sir Rimuru! I’ve heard about you, but I had no idea what you looked like,” Agnes says in shock.
“It’s fine, I’ll admit this body can be terribly deceptive.” I assure her. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of me though since I’ve been here for like, two days. Word travels that fast?”
“It’s the biggest news this city has gotten in a while. Rumour has it that you’re the former ruler of a country who’s since become a direct subordinate of Lady Milim, even though she isn’t known for taking direct subordinates.”
“I think that ‘former ruler’ is a bit of a misnomer as I still have most of the same responsibilities as before. But otherwise, yes.”
It’s a little shocking to know that everyone in this city has heard about my arrival… this must be how celebrities feel. I guess I’d better get used to it, because I don’t seem to be getting any less famous these days.
“So what can I get you, Rimuru?” Agnes offers. “If it’s anything other than soup, you’ll have to be patient, this place only really gets active around the evening so I haven’t prepared anything else.”
“Soup is fine, I’m just glad to get a properly-cooked meal.”
Soon enough, soup is served, and… it really shows that the Dragon Faithful don’t have any experience to lean on with cooking and are having to figure out everything from scratch. The soup doesn’t look offputting at all, just very amateurish. It looks like it was started from plain water rather than a stock.
I nevertheless start eating, and Agnes is anxious to know my verdict.
“How is it? We’ve figured out that hot meals are generally better with a little bit of salt, and when boiling vegetables to start boiling the harder ones first. But besides experimenting with the ingredients, we don’t know much more than that.”
“Hmm, it’s got a lot of ways it could be improved… but I haven’t eaten since that raw vegetable banquet a couple of days ago, so I’m enjoying it nonetheless.”
“You’ve gone two days without eating?!”
“I don’t have any biological need to eat, so it’d not a big deal.”
“Ah… So what improvements did you have in mind?”
“You’re missing the first step of making soup. Before making soup, you’re meant to make a different liquid called ‘stock’. And then, rather than making soup by boiling ingredients in water, you boil them in stock.”
“I knew we were doing something wrong…” Hermes says with a facepalm.
“How would I make this ‘stock’ then?” Agnes asks.
After checking with Great Sage to make sure my knowledge is accurate, I give my explanation.
“Stock is simply water with the flavours of ingredients distilled into it through a long period of simmering. Once you’re done making it, you take all the solid parts of it out, so you’re left with just the flavour of whatever ingredients you chose to put in. Funnily enough, one of the best ingredients you can include is bones, something that’d usually go to waste!”
“So you make soup by first making something similar to soup… I’m never going to master cooking, am I?”
“Tell you what… I’ll pay a visit every day until I leave and teach what I know about cooking! It won’t be much, but it’ll be a start.”
“That would be wonderful! I’ll make sure the other people who are studying cooking know to attend your lessons.”
I give her a suggestive look, as if I’m expecting something more.
After a few moments of confusion, Agnes gets the hint. “Ah… and in exchange for the lessons we’ll keep you well-fed.”
“My pleasure.”
**The Next Day**
The ultimate goal that me and Hermes are working towards is to amend the misunderstandings between Milim and her followers.
The biggest hurdle? Convincing Middray, the notoriously stubborn head priest, to consider our ideas.
We roleplayed this conversation many times, Hermes using his years of experience by Middray’s side to guess everything he might say, so that I’ll be able to lead the conversation no matter what he says.
Well, now to ask a very intimidating guy a bunch of accusatory questions, with a lot staked on how he reacts… Man, how did I get myself into this situation?
“Say, what does Lady Milim get out of being worshipped?” I ask Middray as we’re tilling the soil, our hoes striking a steady rhythm.
Without looking up from the ground, Middray gives his answer. “We make an effort to provide many things for our goddess. We offer her a haven where she’ll always be welcome and cared for. The love and admiration to carry her on through life. Even the willingness to offer ourselves up as tools to execute her will, should the need arise.”
“But then why does she rarely come here?”
Middray briefly looks at me with a scowl. “Lady Milim is very busy, and often struck with wanderlust. One cannot expect her to be around much.”
“Though you say that, I can’t help but feel that she’s longed for a place she can call home. The Milim I know seems so happy just to have her basic needs met, and to have a normal kind of companionship with her people. Happier than she should be.”
“You sound as though you want to push this conversation in a particular direction, so it doesn’t matter that I say, does it? I’ve been asked by Lady Milim to be courteous towards you, so I’ll simply ask that you make your point,” Middray says with a dark look and a slight growl to his tone.
I stop my tilling. “My point is that you do everything you can for your goddess, but do you make sure that Milim as a person is cared for? There’s a lot of things you won’t see if you maintain that there’s an immeasurable distance between you and her. And if you insist that she’s flawless, then you aren’t willing to see her grow as a person even if she wants to.”
Now, Middray has stopped as well. “Sir Rimuru, I have known Lady Milim for likely far longer than you’ve been alive, and-”
“I know that you’ve known her for longer than me. But because of how long you’ve known each other, do you think there’s any chance she’d put up with something she hates for your sake, or for the sake of the priesthood as a whole?”
Middray doesn’t answer. Which is exactly what I want, because it means he’s seriously thinking about what I just said. So I continue.
“She may be older, stronger, and of higher authority than any of us; but that doesn’t mean she’ll hold it over everyone, and she’s quick to buckle under pressure. I think that Milim often just wants to fit in, especially when people seem to be enjoying themselves. If the way she fits in here is as a goddess, then she’s kind of being asked to set her personal issues aside, isn’t she?”
“Are you requesting that the Dragon Faithful don’t treat Lady Milim as a goddess?! Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve even stopped calling her by a title during our conversation.”
“It’s not that!” I quickly say, feeling a little on-edge with this guy even though he knows he can’t touch me. “The reason I refer to Milim by just her name is by her own request, she wants to know I see her as a friend rather than a master. So perhaps she sometimes wants to talk to you as a friend rather than as your goddess.”
Middray utters a ponderous grunt. “Hmmph. It’s an interesting proposition. Very well then, I’ll humour you on this, Sir Rimuru.”
“Thanks, I’m glad you’re willing to consider it,” I say as I resume tilling, letting the work put an end to this difficult conversation. “By the way, I know you and Hermes disagree on a lot of things since his beliefs are a little unorthodox, but he really does have a lot of good ideas, he could help you out a lot here.”
I’ve still got a few more days in this city, so there’s more people that myself and Hermes can try nudge the views of, but Middray was by far our most important target. Interacting with the Dragon Faithful should hopefully get a lot easier for Milim from here on out.
**After the Trip**
Milim POV
Boy, I’ve gotten a lot busier since I sent Rimuru away.
With him unavailable, tasks that he’d usually do come straight to me, and I have no idea what to do with a lot of them. It’s making me realize just how much work gets heaped on Rimuru, because he seems to have a solid idea in his mind for how he wants Tempest to develop, and he also sees consequences to decisions that others would miss.
I’m one of the only people who knows that Rimuru is working off of experience that no one else has, having lived in a city bigger and more advanced than anything in this world, while I have little experience with even the major cities of this world.
Rimuru’s shown me his memories of where he comes from; he lived in the single biggest city of his world, with millions upon millions of people living in a labyrinthine grid of glass and colourful lights that seemed to extend endlessly upwards and outwards.
It’s fascinating, but having to do Rimuru’s job for a while has got me paying a lot more attention to how he thinks and how this town is developing. Having seen the city he comes from makes me wonder if he’s going to forget to set a sensible limit on how big this town should get. Almost everyone in Tempest, myself included, is used to living close to nature if not completely immersed in it, so people will start feeling cooped up if the town gets so big that the edge of it feels distant.
When I voiced my concerns to Rommel since he’s familiar with large human cities like what Rimuru is trying to build, he explained to me that it’s a known issue called “urban sprawl”, and that I just need to plan ahead for it.
So I planned a park! Figuring out where to put it was tricky, since I wanted to have it be a nice outdoorsy area to break up the town a bit, but that meant guessing how the town would expand so that a park placed on the edge of town would eventually end up in the middle of town.
My guess is that the town will most likely expand west across the river that currently defines the western edge of the town, since the hills that way are a lot less steep than the north and south, and the east has a lot of farmland.
As such, I decided that all of the land within 200 metres of the river on its west side should be designated as a park and remain a fun outdoorsy area, and a decade from now it’ll be cutting through the middle of town!
After that, I spent lots of time planning out what to put in the park; currently that strip of land is heavily forested and I guess most of it should be left that way, but I got a bunch of people together to come up with ideas for what else people would enjoy there. Everyone came up with good ideas, especially Treyni! We’re gonna have a duck pond, a garden, some really huge trees for exotic birds to nest in, a grassy field to play around in, a playground… There’s something for everyone!
Anyway, after a whole week of working far harder than usual, I’m enjoying some well-deserved naptime when I sense that a certain someone has returned.
I run over to him, calling out “Rimuru! You’re finally back! It got so busy without-”
Then I burst into laughter as I see that he’s dressed up as one of the Dragon Faithful. “Wa-hahahaha! It’s so funny seeing you wearing that!”
Rimuru simply smiles and bows.
“Lady Milim, I have returned from my visit to the Dragon Faithful. I would have remained to serve the faith as a humble acolyte, but I wouldn’t abandon my direct service to you for the world!”
Huh? This isn’t right!
“Rimuru?! What’s gotten into you?! And I told you to not call me that anymore!” I scold.
“Ah, my apologies, Goddess. I must have lost my senses from being in your wonderful presence once more!”
“Something’s seriously wrong with you! Did they brainwash you?!” I yell as I pick Rimuru up and shake him, but his calm smile doesn’t break.
“Not brainwashed, enlightened. I apologize for never truly appreciating your strength, beauty, and wisdom; from now on you may consider me one of your faithful followers.”
But I don’t want you to be a follower! I want a friend!
I can feel my cheeks getting hot and eyes getting wet as I hold Rimuru up, having no idea what to do about this awful and shocking development!
“But I like that the Rimuru I know thinks for himself! And he never praises me so it feels weird when you talk like that! I shouldn’t have sent you away… Is the real Rimuru still in there?”
Rimuru suddenly gets a very surprised and guilty look on his face.
“It’s just a prank, Milim. It’s the same old Rimuru as before.”
… Damn it, he got me good.
I carelessly drop him on the floor, annoyed at being toyed with like this.
“That prank was really mean, Rimuru!” I complain as I turn away from him.
“Sorry, sorry. Would you like me to make you dinner to make up for it?” he apologizes as he picks himself back up.
“Oooh, that sounds yummy!”
“I’m thinking a delicious meal of cabbage, sweet potato, and carrots. All served raw in their flawless natural state, of course.”
I stare at Rimuru blankly. Then I grab him by the ear and look him dead in the eyes.
“You’re gonna stop this right now, y’hear?”
With a nervous look, Rimuru magically switches out his Dragon Faithful garb for something more casual.
“… Roger that, I value my own life. By the way, was there anything important that happened while I was gone?”
“Oh, yeah! The sciencey guy said King Gazel wants us to make an ‘official state visit’. It sounds important!”
“Seriously? Gazel is inviting a Demon Lord into his own kingdom? Er, no offence, I’m just guessing that’s unusual given that the weaker races fear Demon Lords.”
“It is unusual! I’m kind of excited, it’s the first time in as long as I can remember that I’ve been given permission to enter a big fancy city…”
“What, you’ve just been sneaking in until now?” Rimuru smirks.
“I used to, but these days all the big places have barriers that respond to strong auras. It’s way too hard to completely suppress mine, and just the little bit that slips through always sets them off! It’s so annoying!”
Rimuru has a ponderous look. “Hmm, can you try to hold in your aura? I wanna try something.”
“Huh? Sure…”
I concentrate on bottling up my aura, bending the outflowing streams of magicules in on myself. Though the more of my aura I bend inwards, the more force it takes to bring even more of it in, and bending the streams with too much force causes them to snap outwards in flares. Thanks to a lifetime of practice my control is perfect, but even so there’s so much leaking out that I’d outshine most high-ranking majin even if they weren’t suppressing their aura at all.
While I’m focused on my aura though, Rimuru puts a mask on me.
Eh? What’s this?
Rimuru steps back to examine me. “Looks like it cuts your remaining aura down by about two thirds. There’s still far too much left for you to pass as human, but the mask does seem to have a pretty big effect even on you.”
He’s saying this mask reduces my aura?
“Seriously?! You had a magic item like this?! That’s so useful!”
Rimuru takes the mask back off of me. “Haha, well, it’s not quite heavy-duty enough for you. Not really your style, either.”
“Huhu, then get me a better one! Then I’ll be able to go wherever I like!”
“I’ll have to see if I can reverse-engineer the aura suppression of this mask so I can make a stronger version… But in the meantime, you actually have permission to be in Dwargon, so don’t you have an official state visit to prepare for?”
“Right! Let’s do this! … Actually, I don’t know what that is exactly, so how do I prepare for it?”
“I was hoping you’d know, you’re the ancient Demon Lord.”
“I was hoping you’d know, you’re the one who always seems to know about governing and stuff.”
There’s an awkward pause.
“… Should we get Shuna?” I ask.
Rimuru eagerly nods. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Over a Week Later
VIP Guest Suite
Armed Nation of Dwargon
Rimuru POV
“This is where you’ll be staying, I hope that it is up to your standards,” our attendant says with a bow after showing us to our suite. “Will there be anything else you need?”
Shuna and Shion gasp in amazement. It’s probably the first time they’ve ever seen a room this classy, this is what Dwargon offers to visiting royalty. Certainly a hell of a place to relax after a long carriage ride and prepare for our audience with King Gazel.
“Looks like they’re satisfied,” I say with a smile and plop myself down on the couch where Milim has already faceplanted herself.
The attendant bows himself out, and Milim magically changes out of the ostentatious clothing she entered Dwargon in. I’m also wearing some rather fancy regalia, I would have rather worn a snazzy suit but Shuna said that dwarves seeing me for the first time might be confused about my rank, especially if Shion was wearing something similar.
Changing into casual clothes myself, I lean back and exclaim “Man, I’m glad that our grand entrance went off without a hitch! Seems that most people didn’t realize you’re a Demon Lord, that probably smoothed things over.”
“Well at least they made some good guesses… Princess Rimuru!” Milim snickers.
“Stooooop!”
I can feel my cheeks light up at that comment, and I swap to slime form to hide my reaction. Yes, some of the crowd seemed to be under the impression that we’re foreign princesses, something that Milim has relentlessly teased me about after noticing how embarrassed I get from it.
“I feel left out, I’m the only one in this room who isn’t a princess…” Shion mopes.
It’s only Shuna. Only Shuna is a princess. Not me.
Shuna gives Shion an amused smile. “I’m sure that with enough diligence, people will come to deeply respect and admire you too, Shion.”
“Mhm,” I agree. “I suppose that in these early days, anyone in our fledgling nation has the potential to become a big deal in the future, especially if they’re already in a special position.”
“Like how Kurobe used to do metalworking on his own but now he’s opened up a large workshop and is taking many apprentices,” Shuna points out.
“Or like how Rimuru used to just be a governor but now he’s become a princess!” Milim quickly adds.
I nod in agreement. “Yes, like- Hey!”
Milim falls over, having a fit of giggles.
I’ll just try to ignore this gremlin…
“So you’re saying that if I have any lofty ambitions, now is the perfect time to strive towards them?” Shion asks.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Hmm… Being your secretary is already a very honourable position and it means we have a lot of close contact…” Shion blushes. “But I can’t say I’d mind leading an army to conquer lands and seek glory for yourself and Lady Milim.”
That’s about as far as you can get from being a secretary! I guess she’s never been well-suited to the role though, maybe fighting is more her calling. Sure, I’d miss her very… comfortable way of carrying me, but I’m not so shallow that I’d let that be a reason to prevent her growth.
“Leading an army, huh? I don’t think we’ll ever need to do much conquering, but you could make for a pretty good captain with your willpower and stern attitude.”
Shion’s eyes sparkle with excitement. “Really?! But… I can’t be a captain and your secretary, can I? I want to do both!”
“Heh, it is a dilemma, isn’t it?”
Originally, it was a necessity for me to appoint Shion as my secretary, it wasn’t simply an aesthetic choice. While Shion may have a reputation for being slow-witted, the ogres at least had the leeway to teach their people to read and write, unlike the starving orcs or the shortlived and vulnerable goblins. For a time, Shion was one of the most literate monsters in Tempest, and I really needed her as a secretary as I was illiterate in this world’s language.
Of course, improved living standards soon meant anyone could work on their literacy, plus we started getting migrants from populations that hadn’t previously been suffering too much to eductate their people. Shion’s literacy is now nothing special, so her foolishness is making her value as a secretary questionable.
Before I can begin a lengthy talk with Shion about whether she wants to continue being my secretary, Shuna stands up as though to interrupt us. “Lord Rimuru, this time is set aside so that yourself and Lady Milim can rest after the long carriage ride and the ceremonial entrance before you meet King Gazel. Would you like me to take Shion aside to talk about her future possibilities?”
“Ah, thank you Shuna, you’re good at that kind of thing. I’ll leave you to it.”
Even if Shuna does seem to look down on Shion, I’m sure she’ll figure out what’s best for her. In her heart she still bears the role of a princess, and Shion is one of her only surviving subjects, meaning that there’s an immutable bond between the two.
Shuna leads Shion to another room, and I lazily sprawl my slimy self over the couch.
“So, are you feeling ready for tomorrow?” I ask Milim. The audience with King Gazel we have later today isn’t something I’m too worried about since Gazel and Milim have already met, but tomorrow is when we really try to win the hearts of Dwargon’s people.
“Yeah! We’ve gotta show these dwarves that Tempestians are good folk, right? I’ll try my best to make a good impression.”
“Mhm. You’ll have to deliver a speech too, and that’s something you can’t delegate to me. Have you got one prepared?”
“Huhu… Yeah, I’m thoroughly prepared for this! Don’t worry, I’ve got it all written down.”
“Alright, mind if I have a read?”
“Nuh-uh! I wanna show that I can do stuff without your help!”
She’s taking her duties as Head of State seriously for once! Figures it’s with something flashy like a speech to introduce Tempest to an allied nation, but it’s nice that she wants to prove herself here.
Still, I can’t help but have mixed feelings about this, with something this important and delicate it’s a little hard to trust a rather childish Demon Lord.
“Has anyone proofread your speech at least?” I ask.
“Shuna and Rommel helped me with it, if that’s what you mean.”
Ah… I guess it should be fine, if it was me delivering a speech I’d also end up getting Shuna to proofread it for me. Her ticket of approval is definitely more valuable than mine when it comes to diplomatic conduct.
**The Next Day**
It’s widely known that Dwargon and Tempest are officially allies, but alliance with a Demon Lord and a nation of monsters is a daunting prospect for most folk. This speech represents a critical opportunity to clear up doubts that Dwargon’s people will have about us, and could very well set the tone of our relationship for years to come.
No pressure or anything.
I heave a deep sigh as I look upon the huge crowd gathered before us, with myself, Milim, and Gazel on the stage. For peace of mind I almost wish it was me delivering this speech, but even standing off to the side I can still feel the pressure from the crowd. At the very least, Milim could have let me proofread the speech, but I understand her desire to show that she doesn’t completely rely on me to run things.
Milim doesn’t seem worried about the crowd herself, but she was definitely uncomfortable about getting dolled up by Shuna before this; her current attire is very different from what she usually wears.
Shuna wanted to make Milim look like a gentle princess rather than a wild Demon Lord to make her seem more relatable to these people, so she’s wearing a long and frilly white-and-blue dress with her hair down but brushed neatly behind her shoulders.
She looks nice, but it’s impossible to properly admire her when I’ve had the misfortune of being forced into exactly that appearance. Milim roped me into a prank where I disguised myself as her through mimicry, and long story short, Shuna now knows that she can use me as a dress model for Milim. Which she was unfortunately keen to take advantage of in this case, since Milim would have put up a much bigger fuss than me if she went through the dressup hell I went through until Shuna settled on what Milim is wearing now.
As I’m reflecting on that tedious experience, Gazel steps forward and the crowd settles into a hush.
“Citizens of Dwargon!”
Oh! It’s starting!
“Through rather unusual circumstances, our new ally of the Jura Tempest Federation has come to be ruled by the Demon Lord Milim. However! We have decided this will not alter the terms of our alliance. A cornerstone of the pride and success of our nation is that we do not turn anyone away based simply on what they are, and Tempest’s diplomatic stance is no less amicable than before.”
Gazel finishes his statement to brief but sincere applause.
That seemed oddly blunt. It sounds like he’s focused on dissuading those who would protest Dwargon forging a relationship with a Demon Lord. I should ask him about that when I can, whether that’s been a problem…
Wait, this is supposed to be my cue!
I have only one line to say in this entire thing, so I stand before the teeming crowd and deliver the line as best I can.
“Now, representing the Jura Tempest Federation, give it up for Lady Milim!”
There’s a somewhat more scattered but still substantial applause as Milim takes my place before the crowd, approaching with her usual brisk and eager attitude.
“It’s nice to meet you everyone! I’m the Demon Lord, Milim Nava!
As you may know, I’ve been a Demon Lord for a long, long time. With my own two eyes, I’ve seen your people settle this mountain, tame it, and from it build a nation of legendary renown. Yet in all my years, I’ve never stood on the world stage the way I do at this moment, as the leader of a nation.
Tempest was the nation to finally sway my desires, and convince me to back their goals with my might as a Demon Lord.”
Milim glances towards me with a smile, before facing the crowd again with a bold grin.
“In Tempest, we seek prosperity for all, regardless of race! We’re working on making our country the nicest place to live, so feel free to visit anytime you like!
Through mutual understanding we’ll bring the world closer together, and by bringing the world closer together, we’ll all be able to enjoy happier, richer lives!
Tempest and Dwargon have much to gain from each other; Dwargon craftsmanship is second-to-none, and Tempest is making great strides in a variety of endeavours.
Maybe you won’t trust the words of a Demon Lord like myself, or by extension the people of my domain. But amongst monsters, majin, and Demon Lords, underhandedness is merely a tool of those too weak to achieve their goals by direct means. Thus, as the mightiest being, I have no reason to be deceitful or malicious.
In other words, I intend to redefine what my status as a Demon Lord means to the world, to use it as a guarantee that Dwargon can count on Tempest as a reliable and honest ally for centuries to come!”
Milim boastfully raises her fist, and the crowd cheers.
I felt she was being rather conceited, but the crowd is drinking this up… No way, is she actually better at this than me?!
“That speech of yours actually went a lot better than I expected,” I comment as I follow Milim through an empty passage after all the ceremonies are wrapped up.
“Oh come on, I think I deserve an actual compliment, don’tcha think?” Milim smugly replies, twirling around and walking backwards to face me.
“Alright, fine, you get full marks for it. No way I could be so confident under that kind of pressure, and I think you hit all the important points. Though how sincere was it?”
“Heheh… Maybe it makes my motives sound better thought-out than they actually are, but you can blame Rommel for that, he did a great job of making the speech sound more appealing!”
“I figured you’d say something like that… Though even if it’s a bit embellished, I think it communicates our intentions pretty-”
“Ugeh!”
*CRASH*
Milim pushed her luck by carelessly walking backwards for too long, and she tripped on a pipe.
“How the mighty have fallen. Need a hand?”
Before she answers, Milim stands up and kicks the offending pipe to pieces, letting loose a cloud of steam.
“Nah, I’m all good now!” she cheerily says.
Milim, you really are a troublemaker…
**That Night**
Milim POV
I’m so booored…
After the speech I met up with King Gazel, who was surprisingly talkative after a few drinks; rather than being cautious of the Demon Lord in front of him, he saw it as an opportunity to probe the depths of my knowledge.
I am one of the first Demon Lords, after all. You’d think people would seek my ancient and occult wisdom more often!
But while I don’t mind sharing some stuff, three hours is too much…
Rimuru excused himself halfway through since it had really just become a conversation between myself and Gazel, so now that I’m done with Gazel I’m tracking Rimuru down since he’s probably off doing something fun.
Soon enough I find myself standing outside an establishment called the Night Butterfly, with Rimuru’s magical signature somewhere inside.
Oooh, this place looks fancy, even from the outside…
Strolling through the door, I happen upon a strange scene.
There’s some dead-drunk dwarves being doted on by pretty elf ladies, Gobta is barely clinging to consciousness with blood staining front of his shirt, and Rimuru is sitting on a table in his slime form as he talks to some kind of elf mystic.
“Heya, Rimuru!”
“Gwah! Milim?!”
Since it fits with the dress code, I magically change back into my regular Demon Lord attire; it’s a welcome relief as Shuna’s been very strict about how I dress for this visit, not allowing me to wear the airy and lightweight clothing I prefer.
Other than Rimuru, people haven’t reacted much to my arrival. The elves look surprised but haven’t said anything, and everyone else is too out of it to care.
“I was really bored, so I thought I’d see what you were up to!” I declare to Rimuru.
Rimuru leans towards the mystic and whispers “Ah… so is this what that fortune was about?”
“It was more of a prediction of a theme in your life rather than a specific event,” she replies with a chuckle.
A theme? I wonder what Rimuru and that elf were talking about… Wait, didn’t Rimuru say something about elves once?
I grin as I remember, and give Rimuru a nudge and a wink.
“Hey, lucky you! You were saying once that you have ‘a thing for elves’, and you happen to be in this bar at the same time as a bunch of them!”
“Uh… when did I tell you about that?”
“Heehee, I overheard it! I’ve got really good hearing, you know?”
“Milim, I think we need to talk about privacy at some point…” Rimuru mutters as he sips his drink, holding it with a nubby slime arm.
I sit down behind Rimuru, and pull him off the table and onto my lap.
“So, how come there’s so many elf ladies at this bar today?” I ask the mystic.
“Oh, we’re employees here!” she eagerly replies. “I travel around to work at establishments like this, and the other girls are regular employees here.”
“Ah… So this is a bar if you want to see lots of elf ladies?”
Rimuru squirms as I say that.
“That’s right!” the mystic confirms.
“I get it! But also… I don’t get it. I thought bars were for drinking, so why would people go to one to look at elves?”
She takes a look at Rimuru and giggles. “I’d answer that, but I feel like your friend there doesn’t want me to.”
Eh?
“What’s wrong, Rimuru?” I ask, looking down at him on my lap.
“Oh, nothing, I’m just slowly dying of shame…” Rimuru says in a strained voice.
“That’s a little over-dramatic don’tcha think? Look, I don’t really get it, but I don’t mind what you do for fun; I’ve always lived for my own happiness, and you’re my friend, so of course you should live for your own happiness too!”
“Ah… Good to know. Still, mind keeping this night a secret? It would be the end of me if Shuna or Shion found out…”
“Wa-hahaha! Still so dramatic! Don’t worry, I won’t tell ‘em.”
“Say, Lady Milim, would you like to have your fortune read?” the mystic asks.
“My fortune? Oooh, interesting! I’ve had my fortune read before, but I forgot what it was before it came to pass, so I’ll try harder to remember it this time…”
The problem is really that my memories don’t seem to work on the same timescale as my life, unlike most mortals. I don’t think I’m particularly forgetful, but I live a very full life, so I can hardly be expected to remember every little thing.
“How about who your fated one might be? I did that one for Mister Slime here some time ago.”
“My fated one? What does that mean?”
“It could mean all kinds of things; often it’s lovers, but it could be anyone else closely tied by fate, all you can do is wait and see!”
“Ah… Yeah, my ‘fated one’ was a complete curveball,” Rimuru comments wistfully. “The wording made me think it might be something romantic, so ‘subdue her and take on her form’ was pretty far off the mark.”
“If you took on her form, that must have been Shizu, right?” I ask.
He nods.
“Oooh, that’s pretty impressive if you predicted that!” I say to the mystic. “Okay, let’s see who my fated one is!”
I stare curiously into the crystal ball as the mystic lowers her hands over it, stirring the magical energies within… But nothing happens, all there is to see is myself and Rimuru reflected off of its shiny surface.
“Hmm, sorry, I can’t seem to make out anything…” the mystic apologizes.
“Aw… Does that mean that I don’t have a fated one?” I pout.
“No, it simply means that a prediction couldn’t be made.”
“Ehhh… That’s so useless!”
“Fortune telling can never be consistent and precise. If people could know the future at their leisure, they’d be able to alter the course of events with ease, making it meaningless to know the future in the first place. It’s only more troublesome for someone as powerful and long-lived as yourself, because a question could very well concern something a thousand years out, or have an answer you could change on a whim.”
“Phooey…”
Rimuru does a slime-nod. “I suppose it makes sense, that knowing the future too well would meddle with the future If you told a man who his wife would be, he might act like he owns her and ruin a potential relationship. And if you told a him that he’d end up alone, he might make efforts to avoid that future.”
He sighs after saying that, looking a little sad. I dunno what he’s sad about though, so I just squish him a bit closer to me.
“Kinda disappointing that I can’t have my fortune read though,” I complain.
The mystic gives me a reassuring smile. “A crystal ball isn’t the only method I know. Have you heard of fairytale cards?”
“Fairytale cards? What are those?”
“Fairytale cards are a way of fortune telling that works without fail as it’s a simple matter of drawing cards and interpreting their meaning, but it’s hard to tell if the tales they tell are past, present, or future, or how they relate to you. Would you like a reading?”
“Oh, so it’s like tarot cards,” Rimuru remarks.
“Tarot cards?”
“Rimuru says a lot of things that no one understands!” I dismissively wave my hand. “Now go on, I want to see my fortune!”
The mystic shuffles a handful of cards, and then lays five of them out: Forest, Ocean, Farmer, Scholar, and Drunk.
She looks at them with a frown. “Well, that’s just stating the obvious. I’ll try again.”
“Hang on, what does it say?” Rimuru quickly asks.
“Forest is a card associated with wilderness, life, and genesis. Ocean embodies wonder, mystery, and terror. Farmer concerns settling, livelihood, and creation. Scholar regards knowledge, learning, and invention. Finally, Drunk is associated with temptation and foolishness, but also contentedness. All in all, it’s a card that describes you, little slime. A strange new creature that’s content to settle down, create, and invent.”
“Oh, I see…” Rimuru replies with a slight blush.
The mystic giggles, collecting the cards and shuffling them before dealing another hand: Desert, Ocean, Sky, Hero, and Doctor.
“Some more cards for me to explain. Desert heralds suffering, decay, and pain. Sky tells of change, swiftness, and clarity. Hero embodies strength, revelation, and usurpation. Finally Doctor is a kind card of love, nurturing, and mending.”
“Clarity? Then do Ocean and Sky kinda cancel out?” I ask.
The mystic nods. “Perhaps. Or maybe it means there’ll be both change and terror. It sounds like the tale told here is of someone powerful, possibly a Hero, causing pain and suffering with lasting consequences. However, it will eventually be mended.”
Rimuru shivers. “I’m going to try my best to think of a past event to explain that. Even if it all works out in the end I really hope that it doesn’t lie in either of our futures…”
“Another hand?”
Both me and Rimuru nod, so the mystic deals again: Plains, Drunk, Demon, Champion and Angel.
“I see, I see…” mutters the mystic. “Plains grants bounty, consistency, and prosperity. Demon hides secrecy, plots, and cunning. Champion brings with it justice, skill, and fairness. And Angel is a judgemental card of forgiveness and rebirth, but also destruction. I think all this, along with the previously-explained Drunk card, means that a foolish schemer — likely a demon — is righteously destroyed, restoring prosperity to a land.”
“Hang on, there were all kinds of ways to interpret that!” I object. “How can you be so confident?!”
“Call it teller’s intuition,” the mystic replies with a smile. “One last go?”
The process repeats. She deals the cards Soldier, Demon Lord, Sky, Monarch and Forest, then proceeds to explain the new cards. “Soldier is a strict card of labour, discipline, and anger. Demon Lord embodies power, loyalty, and conspiracies. And Monarch is steeped in order, complexity, and greed.”
The mystic thinks for a while, and then shrugs. “I haven’t a clue what it could be! Sounds like a tale of a swift and sudden invasion of the Jura Forest to me, but there’s no Drunk card there, and only a fool would invade the territory of The Destroyer.”
“The Demon Lord Carrion stealthily invaded the Jura Forest a while back,” Rimuru explains. “I’m inclined to believe it’s referring to that.”
“I would certainly hope so.”
Rimuru picks up one of the cards, thoroughly inspecting it. “Would it be possible for me to buy a set of these? I think the dryad Treyni might find this a lot of fun, she runs a bar and has a penchant for being wise and mystical.”
“It would honour me for a dryad to use the cards I decorated myself. I would be happy to let you purchase this set right here, would thirty silver be fair?”
Rimuru flinches at the price, but he hands out the sum, and then collects the cards in his small slime hands to look through them. “There’s some cards here that you haven’t explained yet. What are they?”
“Ah, yes, there’s more. The mighty Dragon, it represents all things absolute, unstoppable, eternal. The beautiful Deity, whose sphere includes faith, values, and religion. The stalwart Castle symbolizes populations, civilizations, and endurance. And last of all the jovial Bard enjoys entertainment, happiness, and culture.”
As the mystic explains things to Rimuru I gaze longingly at the crystal ball. I do want to have my fortune read in such a mystical way, it sounds cool… But what could I ask that it would actually respond to with how unreliable it is?
“I still wanna try out the crystal ball!” I eagerly declare. “What if I ask a really simply question, like what I’ll have for breakfast?”
The mystic tilts her head in confusion. “What you’ll have for breakfast? Something so precise doesn’t sound likely to work, but I’ll try…”
She makes another attempt at conjuring something up, and slowly images appear of food fit for a Demon Lord; toast with a variety of delectable spreads! Thinly sliced cuts of meat! Roast vegetables!
“What?! That looks delicious!” I lean in so close that my nose nearly touches the orb.
“Oh, it actually worked!” the mystic exclaims in suprise.
Rimuru laughs. “It worked because you’ve got her dead-set on it, there’s absolutely no possibility that she doesn’t eat it now. Okay, now try me!”
“Alright, what you’ll have for breakfast in the future is… a dramatic prediction with possibilities of delight or peril?”
“A dramatic prediction, huh? … How the heck does that make sense?! It’s breakfast!”
**The Next Morning**
Rimuru POV
“So, where were you last night, Lord Rimuru?” Shuna asks, intimidatingly pacing back and forth behind me.
“Oh, you know, going around and seeing the sights…”
“Really? What kind of sights?”
“Um, well, it’s hard to remember…”
Milim managed to save my skin as we were leaving the bar last night, as we would have run straight into Shuna and Shion without her help. But that wasn’t the end of my troubles, as Shuna seems entirely convinced that I was there.
Is this what that prediction was? Is the “peril” that I might be forced to eat Shion’s cooking for breakfast as a punishment?!
Shuna leans in close to me. “You know, I asked Gobzo where you and your male companions were headed last night. Care to know what he told me?”
Gobzo, you snitch! Why would you tell her that?!
“Sure, tell me, because how could I possibly know what he said?” I reply, doing my best to keep a poker face.
“He told me that you were headed to a bar with lots of elves, called the Night Butterfly. Does that sound familiar?”
“Whaaat? There’s a place like that here? Maybe I should go check it out someti-”
[[Warning: Surge in energy detected from the individual Shuna.]]
Eeek!
“You know, the governor of Tempest really shouldn’t be cavorting around so shamelessly. A position such as yours comes with great prestige.”
Maybe I should just fess up, it doesn’t look like there’s any chance-
*SLAM*
“Hold on a second!” Milim orders as she bursts into the room.
“Oh, Lady Milim!” Shuna greets, her aura cooling off.
“Rimuru couldn’t have possibly been at the Night Butterfly, because we were looking for the perfect souvenir for you!”
An excuse! It’s a complete lie, but it’ll do just fine.
Taking Milim’s cue, I reply with “That’s right! Despite how busy you are with other duties, you’re always looking out for us and taking care of us, so we wanted to give you a nice surprise to show our thanks.”
Shuna quickly bows low. “I’m so sorry Lord Rimuru! I harshly berated you when you and Lady Milim were simply carrying out an act of kindness, and you couldn’t tell me because it was meant to be a surprise…”
“It’s alright! We were going to give it back to you on the trip back from Dwargon, so your punishment is that you have to endure the anticipation until then, haha!”
I feel kind of bad making Shuna think that she did something wrong in order to save my own skin, which is why I gave her that completely insignificant “punishment”. If I let her off the hook, she might feel like she’s damaged her reputation in my eyes, but a meaningless punishment indicates that the offence is also meaningless.
While Shuna is bowing, behind her I can see Milim winking at me, and I give her a thumbs-up back.
She’s always getting into trouble, but it looks like she knows how to get out of trouble too… Good on you, Milim!
