The World's Ego

Attained Hope

Rimuru POV

Beni led me to the room Mjurran is locked in. Youm and Grucius had insisted on accompanying her inside the room. Upon arriving, I took a seat on one of the chairs inside, facing her as she sat on the bed.

"You can begin, Mjurran."

"... I am a follower of the Demon Lord Clayman. I am Mjurran, the Ring Finger of the 'Five Fingers'." Mjurran explains

Clayman... I heard he's one of the Demon Lords involved in the Orc Lord plot. The impression I got from Milim's story wasn't good.

"Go on."

"My mission was to be a spy within Tempest. So I used Youm to infiltrate this town." She continued

I nod, "Mm. Alright, I'm getting the picture now. So are you still giving Clayman reports?"

Mjurran shakes her head, "No. I have no means of contacting him. I am a wizard. In this <Anti-Magic Area>, I am capable of nothing more than any other human being."

"You're the one who turned this town into an <Anti-Magic Area>, right? How were you planning to get yourself out of here?" I asked, but she simply didn't respond, "... Clayman abandoned you, then."

"Clayman is also known as the 'Marionette Master'. He manipulates his own followers to suit his needs as if we are his puppets. To him, his followers are nothing but tools. If we are broken or unneeded, he disposes of us." Mjurran explained

This explanation struck me as odd, so I didn't hesitate to question her, "... Why did you decide to follow him? It really didn't seem like it would be worth it."

"If only I had realized that for myself at that time. I was originally a human witch. I was persecuted, and to survive I fled to the forest, where I stayed for several hundred years. I had no family or friends. All of my time was spent researching magic. And when this seeming eternity was, at last, returning to its end, he appeared, holding a crystal, and told me, 'I shall give you endless time and a young body that will never age. In return, I want you to swear your loyalty and service.'" Mjurran recounts

"And you agreed?"

"I suppose a naive woman who lives in a forest was a laughably easy target to manipulate. The secret art Clayman gifted to me was called a 'Marionette Heart'. It transforms the subject from a human into a Majin, using a replacement heart as a reagent. Since then, Clayman had my heart in his grasp. I received what he promised me..." Mjurran finished up her story

I crossed my arms and leaned back on the chair.

"So he literally controls your right to live or die. I see now. Because you couldn't accept your own death, you've now plunged my people into terrible danger." I said, glaring down at her coldly

"H-Hey, now!" Youm interjects, flustered at my expression

"Silence, both of you. Rimuru-sama is speaking to her and her alone." Beni warns them as the two stop approaching me

"What's Clayman's reason for trying to mess with us, then? Don't tell me he sent you here just to have us dispose of his tool." I asked to get further information, my eyes gazing at her uncaringly

"Clayman only reveals his thoughts to a select few. So what I can tell you now is nothing more than a hypothesis based on his words. I do not know if Clayman himself is responsible for pushing Falmuth into action, but I sensed that erecting the <Anti-Magic Area> over Tempest was planned with Falmuth's military action already in mind." Mjurran explains

"That means he was hoping to maximize the damage here?"

"I believe that is part of it. But more than that, I think he wanted to prevent contact with the outside, specifically calls to other countries for help. If the Dwavern or Blumund Kingdom had come to Tempest's aid, they would stop Falmuth in its tracks. And then war might have been avoided. He wants to start a war between Tempest and Falmuth. That would be just the narrative Clayman would write. However, I do not know what he intends to gain by fomenting war like this." Mjurran continues