With the arrival of Gazel and Erald and their interest on your nation's actions moving forward, the meeting was moved outside to a comfortable awning where chairs were set up for everyone while attending the meeting. Introductions were once again made as Shuna spoke for Diablo, who was a new face to both Gazel and Erald, while you and Rimuru stood at the center, and Mai had fetched you a new white, button up shirt as you rolled the sleeves up a bit with two top buttons undone. The shirt hugged your frame well to give a little more definition to your muscles, as Mai blushed with a smile while staring at you.
"You look wonderful, my Lord." Mai whispered to you.
"T-Thank you, Mai..." You said with a bashful blush as she just giggled while you two remained quiet to let Shuna continue.
"Next is our second secretary, Diablo." Shuna said as Diablo humbly placed his hand on his chest and lowered his head to the other figure heads.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Diablo said with a respectful tone.
"And the caretaker of the Forest of Jura..." Shuna trailed off as Treyni, who was also attending before the interruption, stood up.
"I am the Dryad Treyni." Treyni formally introduced herself as she received a nod of acknowledgement from all.
"This concludes the introductions of our members from Tempest. I will now introduce our guests. From the Armed Nation of Dwargon, King Gazel Dwargo." Shuna introduced the king of Dwargon as he hummed in response. "From the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion, Archduke Erald." Shuna introduced the newcomer.
"It's a pleasure." Erald responded in kindness.
"From the Animal Kingdom of Eurazania's Warrior Brigade, the Three Beastketeers, Lady Albis, Lady Suphia, and Sir Phobio." Shuna gestured before turning to the next party on the list. "From the Kingdom of Blumund, Guildmaster Fuze." Shuna said as Fuze was still a little nervous from everything going on.
"Uh...Yes." Fuze said in awkwardness.
"And representing the future Kingdom of Falmuth, Sir Grucius, Lady Mjurran, and Sir Youm." Shuna introduced Youm as the future king.
"Ahem! Nice to meet you!" Youm cleared his throat with his usual confident filled smile as Gazel, Dorf, and Erald stared at him in wonder and confusion.
"Wow, pretty prominent bunch of people we've got here..." Rimuru thought before a small concern arose as he noticed a certain pair walking over.
Heading over to where all the buzz was, Malenia and Veldora were coming over join in on the fun and hear what everyone had to say about future things. Malenia decided to change things up for a little more comfort when it came to clothes since the day was a bit warmer than last. The black short-shorts remained, but she wore a white tank-top with very thin straps that hugged her body well, putting more emphasis on her voluptuous chest as she wore simple sandals and had her hair in a high ponytail, exposing a lot of skin with while she ate a blue ice popsicle she got earlier from eating. Veldora also went with a comfort outfit wearing some nice brown pants and a nice white shirt in similar fashion to yours, though his was a bit baggier, and decided shoes were a bit constricting on his feet as he wore sandals the same as Malenia.
"Shuna, what's Veldora and Malenia doing?" Rimuru whispered to her in confusion of their arrival.
"Yes, they changed clothes and wanted to be here to attend the meeting also." Shuna explained as the two of them walked up the small steps of the gazebo and strutted pass Gazel and Youm who were surprised a bit by their sudden appearance.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" Veldora announced as he and Malenia walked up to you all that were standing at the front.
"Oh, that looks wonderful on you! And it appears to be the perfect size!" Shuna praised Veldora for getting all nice and clean for this meeting.
"Right? It is truly a nice outfit! You have my compliments!" Veldora said with joy of his new clothing as he let out a hearty laugh.
"Thank you." Shuna accepted the compliment, meanwhile you were had your hand on your face in confusion and frustration over your mother's attire.
"Mom, what in the world are you wearing?" You asked her as she raised a brow and looked down at herself.
"What? Ya don't like it? I ain't really one to wear a load o' stuff since it gets stuffy, so I like bein' comfortable." Malenia said as most of the men in attendance had massive blushes on their face from how erotic she looked.
"That's not the issue! You're showing too much skin! Don't you think you'll cause men trouble with their significant others?" You said to her with a glare as Mjurran glared at Youm who whistled nervously while looking away as Malenia smirked at you while her tail wagged around.
"Ara? Could it be my son doesn't want anyone else to look at me but him? I never thought ya'd be so bold~!" Malenia suddenly lunged at you with puckered lips and tried kissing you while you held her back by her face.
"That's wrong! Also this is really inappropriate!" You said as she tried wrapping her arms around you.
"Huuuh? Why not? We're the only two of our kind left, so we gotta repopulate!" Malenia said as you pushed harder away from her and she tried approaching closer, but Mai approached you two.
"U-Um, Malenia-san, please calm down. We should really proceed with this meeting." Mai said before gasping in shock when Malenia suddenly wrapped her tail around her waist and pulled her in close while using two fingers to take hold of her chin.
"Oho? Trying to compete against me for my own son? Not bad, but I think I have an advantage to things when it comes to what he likes. After all, I've seen all of the por--!" Malenia was about to expose some of your darkest secrets from your past until you put her in a choke hold.
"AHHHHH!!!! YOU CAN'T EXPOSE THOSE!!! MY JUNIORS BACK WHERE I'M FROM MADE SURE TO GET RID OF ALL THE EVIDENCE!! I'LL BE DAMNED IF MY DEEPEST, DARKEST DESIRES GET EXPOSED NOW!!!" You yelled as you and Malenia began wrestling with one another like cats that got into an argument.
"Rimuru, are these another of your subordinates?" Gazel spoke up as he couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore as all the commotion stopped when everyone turned to him. "I haven't seen them before." He said as you and Malenia stood up while Rimuru gestured to the two of them as they stood at both his sides.
"Yeah. Let me introduce you all to our sworn friend and Y/N's mother. This is Veldora-kun, and Malenia-san." Rimuru introduced the pair to Gazel.
"Yo'." Malenia flashed him a bored peace sign while eating her popsicle while Veldora huffed in with a prideful smile while his hands were at his waist.
"Veldora and Malenia?" Gazel repeated the names in his head.
"Veldora and Malenia?" Erald did the same as he was stunned.
"Vel..dora and Male...nia?" Fuze's eyes dilated in shock.
In that instant that their names were revealed to them, the image of Veldora's Storm Dragon Form and Malenia's Gojira form flashed in their head as they imagined the two roaring to the skies while standing over a ruined city engulfed in flames. They stared at the two of them in shock as Veldora grinned goofily and Malenia wiped some melted popsicle off her left breast as she gnawed on the stick that was left over.
"I am the Storm Dragon, Veldora Tempest! And she is my Master! Malenia! Oh, I guess you could say Malenia Tempest, seeing that her son shares the same name as I and Rimuru, so you could say we're all family!" Veldora exclaimed as Gazel, Erald, and Dorf especially were shocked beyond belief as the Storm Dragon continued speaking. "Very few people have had a chance to speak with us. You are all extremely fortunate! Consider this a great honor!" Veldora said before a strange loud noise caught everyone's attention and they looked to see Fuze had fallen unconscious due to this shocking information.
"Uh-oh. He passed out." Eren said in surprise.
"I don't blame him." Youm said as he was no longer effected by such reveals.
"Huh? What's his deal? Ya' dead or sumn'?" Malenia walked over and began kicking his arm a little to check if he was still alive.
"Hey! Stop!" You grabbed your mother and dragged her back as she got annoyed and you two began wrestling one another in annoyance again.
"Huh, was he overcome with emotion?" Veldora asked in wonder of such a reaction.
"That's not it!" Rimuru chopped him lightly on the arm with an annoyed smile before huffing a sigh and looking to the Storm Dragon and Malenia. "Hey, Veldora and Malenia, we're about to have a serious discussion here. Don't get in the way, okay? During the meeting, I'd like you two to act as advisors, and please, behave yourselves. You guys can even go take a walk if you want." Rimuru humbly suggested to them with a smile, but Veldora playfully wrapped his arm around Rimuru while playfully poking at him.
"Ahahaha! That's cold, BFF! Bestie! Don't try to leave me out like that!" Veldora said as Rimuru had an awkward and slightly annoyed smile on his face.
"Right, why do you guys get to have all the fun to yourselves? I wanna listen in...ALSO!" Malenia exclaimed as she put you in an armbar while you were yelling in shock and tapping the ground to make her let go.
"M-Mom! Give! I give!" You yelled out as she released your arm and you slumped on the ground in exhaustion, but quickly gasped in shock when she straddled you and got close to your face.
"And I'll GIVE you something, my dear son and only other member of our race..." Malenia trailed off with a lick across her lips as you smiled nervously.
Your screams turned muffled as kissing noises and strange sounds came from Malenia while blue hearts lifted in the air and everyone covered their eyes, except for Mai who peaked through her fingers in shock. While that was going on, Gazel marched up to Rimuru with a scary and serious look on his face.
"Rimuru! Y/N! I need to talk to you two." Gazel demanded.
"Uh...So do we." Rimuru trailed off as this important meeting you all were supposed to have, was once again called off for the mean time.
After pulling you and Rimuru away to speak somewhere private, Gazel and Erald brought you both to your office where Shuna brought you all to have some tea to calm down and clearly explain the situation that was going on with Malenia and Veldora. Rimuru sat at the chair of his desk and you stood beside him avoiding eye contact with the others as you both had nervous smiles about what was going to be said to you two. Nothing was said for a few moments, but the air turned heavy when Erald and Gazel suddenly got in both of your faces with intense stares, making you both panic.
"What's the meaning of this?! The Storm Dragon Veldora and The Almight Gojira Malenia have returned?!" Gazel said before pointing his finger intimidatingly in your face as you shrieked nervously. "And you! Hiding yourself as a plain lizard when you were actually a Gojira yourself?!" He said as you tried whistling, but only strange air noises came out.
"W-Well, you just sorta assumed I was a lizard and I thought it'd be rude to correct you so..." You nervously scratched the side of your head with your finger before hiding your face as you felt Gazel's glare turn even fiercer.
"Um, to put it really simply..." Rimuru tried explaining, but was interrupted by Erald this time.
"Before you do that, let me say one thing." Erald spoke up seriously.
"S-Sure..." Rimuru said as you two looked like children that were being scolded by grown ups.
"The emperor of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion has entrusted me with full authority. What I say dictates Thalion's position. Now, with that in mind..." Erald trailed off as he got unnervingly close to the both of you with a scary look on his face. "Let's hear your explanation." He demanded in a low and fearsome tone.
"Okay, okay. I promise we'll tell the truth." Rimuru said nervously while waving his hand to calm down as they listened carefully to what you two had to say.
With the pressure from Gazel and Erald demanding to know what was going on in Tempest with those two giants that were now walking among you all as regular beings, you and Rimuru went into detail about everything that happened since you two had been reincarnated and up until the point where you both became Demon Lords, revived everyone, freed Veldora and Malenia, and freed you from your alter ego, turning you into a True Demon Lord. The two were stunned to say the least from hearing such a story as Rimuru finished wrapping up the last details.
"And that brings us to today." Rimuru said with a satisfied smile while you nodded in agreement, but you both turned nervous seeing how much of a mental overload it was for Gazel and Erald who were holding their heads in wonder. "Uh, hey..." He called out to them nervously as they were pondering everything deeply.
"I never imagined this. It was problematic enough that you two became Demon Lords, but you had two even bigger problems waiting for us..." Gazel muttered in shock as he referred to Veldora and Malenia.
"Please! No need for such praise!" Rimuru said bashfully as Gazel glared at him, making him retract from that notion as you two sat nervously.
"Mister Rimuru, Mister Y/N, are they really The Storm Dragon Veldora and The Almighty Gojira Malenia?" Erald asked as his head seemed to be hurting a little.
"Are they? I wonder!" You said playfully as Erald wasn't up for games and replied instantly.
"No, I know they are." Erald exasperated as you two felt nervous. "No human of monster is foolish enough to use the name of the Evil Dragon and Catastrophic Gojira in jest." Erald said as you and Rimuru had awkward smiles on your faces.
"Good point." You both thought in agreement to what he said.
"Still..." Gazel trailed off in wonder.
"What to do?" Erald asked in confusion as the two of them looked to one another.
"Do we make this news public or conceal it?" Gazel asked with his arms crossed.
"Either way, the Western Nations shouldn't pose a problem. As for the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion, I need only report to the emperor. The only problem is..." Erald let his voice drift as Gazel knew what he was referring to.
"The Western Holy Church." Gazel said as Erald nodded to him. "We cannot keep this a secret from them. Of all the Dragon,s they regard the Storm Dragon with particular hostility. More so for the Gojira, who they deem a God of Destruction." Gazel said as Erald put his hand to his chin in wonder.
"They've probably already discovered that the Evil Dragon and Chaotic Gojira are back." Erald assumed as Rimuru let out a small huff from drinking tea while you leaned down to whisper to him.
"Hey, they get along pretty good, huh?" You whispered to Rimuru.
"Yeah." Rimuru whispered back as you two looked back and forth between them.
"Are you listening, you two?!" Gazel raised his voice as you both got startled and stiffened up.
"Y-Yes!" You and Rimuru responded nervously.
"We need to give serious thought to this matter! Especially regarding the trouble you could possibly stir just by existing!" Erald scolded you especially of the two as you both lowered your heads.
"Sorry." You two apologized as your tail moped on the floor.
"Well, we were planning to spread the word about Veldora and Y/N anyway, but not Malenia. And it doesn't seem like there'll be any avoiding the Western Holy Church...So we'll have to do something." Rimuru explained as Gazel seemed to ease up once hearing his words.
"If that is the decision, I have no complaints." Gazel said as Erald reached for his cup of tea on the small table in front of him.
"Two Demon Lords, one of them being a newly grown Gojira, joining forces with the Evil Dragon and Catastrophic Gojira...Could there be a more troubling turn of events? It's not a funny joke at all. That said, this is fortunate." Erald admitted in all honesty.
"It is?" Rimuru said in wonder of what he meant as Erald sipped a bit of his tea.
"Since I was able to take part in this private meeting, I gained the best possible knowledge with which to determine my nation's position." Erald said as Gazel hummed in agreement.
"Ah..." You and Rimuru said in bewilderment.
"It would be foolish to pick a fight with a nation that's home to a pair of Demon Lords and the Evil Dragon and Chaotic Gojira." Erald said while sipping from his cup of tea.
"Precisely." Gazel said while crossing his arms in agreement.
"I see." You and Rimuru hummed with impressed smiles on your faces.
"So you're saying that even if the Western Holy Church becomes our enemy, you'll take our side. Is that a fair conclusion?" Rimuru asked Gazel.
"Rimuru, Y/N, you two should really learn the art of unspoken language." Gazel said in disappointment of you two not realizing that earlier.
"R-Right..." Rimuru agreed awkwardly.
"I'm saying that I won't expose my country to danger when there's no real reason to be hostile. We are under no obligation to the Western Holy Church. Undderstand?" Gazel explained in simpler terms for you two to understand.
"Yeah. It'll be reassuring to have you on our side." Rimuru said before turning to Erald. "But...Erald-san...We haven't established diplomatic relations with Thalion. Why are you being so cordial?" Rimuru asked as Erald grew an awkward look on his face.
"Mister Rimuru, in formal settings, please address me with both my name and my title. You are one of the leaders of a nation. There's no need to humble yourself before another nation's authority. Though I don't mind you addressing me as you just did, or with 'Mister'." Erald taught him a little bit of etiquette, though he wasn't opposed to such familiar behavior, reassuring Rimuru.
"Okay. Thanks." Rimuru said as Erald placed his empty cup on the table.
"That aside, allow me to answer your question. Since it was my daughter, Ere--!" Erald cut himself off as you three stared at him awkwardly for using his daughter's adventurer name as he cleared his throat. "I mean, Eryune, who told you how to become Demon Lords, I am charged with taking responsibility for that. After all, one could say that my daughter created a pair of Demon Lords. But only the emperor and I know this. This is why I came here personally to judge you two for myself, with the possibility of dispatching an army in kind in case I deemed it necessary." Erald explained his reasonings for visiting Tempest as you and Rimuru had fairly optimistic smiles on your faces.
"And what judgement have you made?" Rimuru asked as you wagged your tail somewhat excitedly and expectantly.
"As I said earlier, I choose friendship." Erald stuck to his previous notion with a smile.
"That's the obvious choice, of course. My country had every intention of backing Tempest as a friendly nation from the start." Gazel said with a humored smile.
"Of course, this arrangement is not without its problems. The army of Falmuth that Mister Rimuru and Mister Y/N annihilated produced far too many casualties. A Demon Lord Duo who've killed 20,000 men..." Erald said with worry.
"Don't worry about that. All the bodies have vanished, leaving no proof, and there is not a single survivor. Which means we can alter the story as we please. All we need to do is convince those who hear it." Gazel said before turning to the two of you. "Rimuru, Y/N, a king must have no regrets." He advised that you don't let any decisions you made in the past bring you down in the present or future.
"Yeah. I only did what I needed to do. I came to terms with my decision long ago." Rimuru said as he turned to you.
"Well, I wasn't really conscious so I don't remember doing any of that anyways, so my conscience is clear!" You said as Rimuru chopped you in the stomach for your excuse. "I was joking...I still don't regret what I did though." You muttered.
"Very good, then. All right, I will explain. Listen well. This is our story." Gazel said as you all leaned in close to hear the story he was cooking up in order to trick the world of what happened that day.
After a long conversation and listening to Gazel about how to change the story to paint Tempest in a better light, you all agreed on the decision and ended the brief meeting to return back to the meeting that was supposed to happen long before any of them arrived. You all returned to the gazebo as Gazel and Erald took their seats while you and Rimuru stood at the front with your attendants behind you. You and Mai glanced over with raised brows at Fuze who seemed like he had recently come to from his shock, and was resting with a cool towel on his face to calm down.
"You okay?" Rimuru asked Fuze as the Guildmaster removed the towel from his eyes and looked ahead in exhaustion.
"You need to tell me important things like that beforehand!" Fuze said in annoyance while Veldora was reading some manga that Rimuru produced for him, and Malenia was doing the same on the couch with him as she propped her legs on top of his while flicking through pages silently.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? Well, it's in the past now." Rimuru said in a joking tone.
"Don't just brush it off!" Fuze complained in irritation.
"Hey, sounds like you're feeling better!" Rimuru commented on the life in his tone.
"Honestly...How am I going to report this?" Fuze muttered in confusion before letting out an exasperated sigh as you nodded to Rimuru to officially start things off.
"All right, we will now resume the meeting! We'll start with an explanation of how we got here." Rimuru said as you all went through the same song and dance routine once more, explaining yours and his origins and everything that happened up until now.
During the explanation of what happened, Rimuru made sure to retell his encounter with a warrior from the Western Holy Church, Hinata Sakaguchi, and how she almost slayed him completely if it weren't for his quick wits.
"I can't believe it...You fought Hinata Sakaguchi?" Fuze said in disbelief of the appearance of their greatest warrior.
"Yeah. She was incredibly strong. She wouldn't listen to me at all. She was like a cruel, cold-blooded killer." Rimuru described her.
"Hmm..." Fuze put his hand to his chin as he seemed deep in thought.
"What is it?" Rimuru asked in wonder of what he was thinking.
"Oh, that just differs a bit from the information we acquired." Fuze noted a conflict in information between Rimuru's and his own.
"How so?" Rimuru asked him.
"She always lends a hand to those who depend on her. She won't waste her time on anyone who ignores her advice, but her way of thinking is quite reasonable and rational." Fuze described what they have heard from reports of Hinata Sakaguchi.
"Hmm...Leave it to Blumund's Guildmaster, a man who excels at intel-gathering. I will testify that what you say matches what I have heard." Gazel spoke in agreement of the information.
"It matches the information we have, as well. She is a model knight who has never once violated the teachings of Lord Luminus. In other words, she is a true protector of law and order." Erald testified in the case of information for the knight as Rimuru was the one confused now.
"If she's that great, why doesn't she try to stop the summoning ritual? Bringing children here from another world against their will is something that should never be tolerated." Rimuru said in wonder of how such a benevolent knight wouldn't act against such a heinous act.
"Maybe her Lord Luminus or whoever her boss is ordered her to not interfere with such things because maybe they serve another purpose? Although I find that hard to believe." You suggested, but didn't have any support for that claim.
"We don't know for certain whether or not she truly overlooked summonings performed in other countries, do we?" Fuze explained as you imagined what it was like for Shizue when she was summoned to this world, and how horrible it was. "The magic used to summon Otherworlders is a forbidden ritual that cannot be exposed to the public eye. It is designated as a prohibited act by the Council of the West. Even if we asked about it, no nation would readily acknowledge it." Fuze brought up the case that she may not have known about such acts going on.
"So if they say it's not being done, that's the end of it." Rimuru surmised.
"Correct." Fuze confirmed that notion.
"It's likely that the reason it was never mentioned to you is because the teachings of Lord Luminus forbid making deals with monsters." Erald suggested.
"So we have no chance of negotiating with them, huh?" Rimuru sighed as you were perplexed by this situation your nation was tangled in with the Church.
"If those at the Western Holy Church deem us enemies of God, then that's enough for this Hinata person to go along with and make us her enemies, huh?" You asked.
"I suppose so." Fuze surmised that was a reasonable train of thought.
"Kuhuhu..." Diablo suddenly chuckled in a scary way before lowering his head with respect to you both. "Then allow me to go and take care of her." Diablo suggested that he face her himself.
"Whoa, whoa. Hinata's a tough opponent. You think you could take her?" Rimuru questioned Diablo's thinking.
"That's right, Diablo." Shion suddenly spoke up, startling you as you all turned to her as she firmly had her hands on her hips. "If a weakling like you is thinking of going, I shall go instead and finish the job. Great Rimuru, Great Y/N, you can leave this to me." Shion spoke with bravado and confidence.
"Now, now, Miss Shion. I hesitate to say this after you taught me how to be a secretary, but unfortunately, you cannot defeat this Hinata person." Diablo said as he stepped up to the plate.
"What a funny thing to say. Are you implying that you are stronger than me?" Shion said with a fierce smirk before grinning at her junior with a intimidating smile. "Then let us find out once and for all who is--!" Shion was about to throw down with Diablo, but neither of you were having it.
"NO, YOU WILL NOT!" You and Rimuru split the two of them apart to avoid conflict, surprising not only them, but Veldora and Malenia who tried sneaking into the argument as you two glared at them. "Veldora, were you..." Rimuru stared at Veldora with great intensity.
"Mom..." You growled while your dorsal plates flashed and Malenia's teeth were chattering behind her nervous smile.
"N-N-N-N-No, I wasn't trying to j-j-j-join in or anything!" Veldora nervously denied their allegations.
"T-T-T-That's right! We were just t-t-t-t-trying to break it up! I wouldn't jump into an a-a-argument! H-Hahaha!" Malenia stammered while her tail was up on end.
"If she's going to come here, there's no need for us to go there." Rimuru said as Malenia and Veldora sat back down on their couch in sadness.
"Aw..." The two of them muttered with sad pouts of not going off to fight someone.
"No whining! We don't want to get on the Western Holy Church's bad side. That goes for you guys, too." You and Rimuru scolded the troublemakers.
"I am sorry." Shion and Diablo apologized for their shame as Rimuru wanted to get this meeting back on track.
"Ahem! Now, that concludes the debate on Hinata and the Western Holy Church. Depending on what they do, we may end up fighting them...But for now, we'll treat them with caution and keep an eye on things!" Rimuru ordered.
"Very well." Everyone said in agreement of this course of action regarding the Church and Hinata.
"I need to catch up with the things Rimuru's been doing when he's away at Engrassia. Since that's the place Shizu taught otherworlders, and this Hinata person is apparently one of her students, there might some connection in Engrassia that connects us to her." You thought in wonder before sensing something approaching you all as you looked up at the glass roof of the gazebo. "Hm? What is that?" You thought in wonder as your enhanced eye sight picked up a strange glowing orb heading down towards you all.
"Now, let's get down to business." Rimuru said before you suddenly tapped him on the shoulder while looking up. "Hm? What is it?" He asked as you pointed up.
"BWAH!" There was a sudden pained yelp and the sound of something hitting the glass roof caught everyone's attention as you all looked up to see something strange had arrived.
"....What is that?" You thought with a confused and estranged face as you stared at one of the weirdest things you had seen since reincarnating...
"Huh? What? A bug?" You said in confusion of what you were looking at.
"Ramiris?!" Rimuru said in shock as you snapped your head to him.
"Huh? You know this tiny thing?" You said in surprise while pointing to the one named Ramiris as Mai stepped out and flew up to gently pick the fairy up and bring her back down while she rubbed her nose that was red from the impact.
"Are you alright?" Mai asked her in worry.
"I'm okay...Thank you..." Ramiris sniffled while rubbing her nose.
"What the heck's going on?" Rimuru asked as Ramiris snapped to her senses and quickly flew up to his face.
"I heard everything! This country, Tempest...is doomed to fall!" Ramiris suddenly dropped a shocking warning.
"Wha..." Rimuru grew an awkward smile before you all had shocked looks and eyes come on at the same time. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" You all screamed in shock of what her warning meant.
"Yes! It's doomed to--GWAH!!!" Ramiris suddenly yelled in shock when Diablo grabbed her by her wings with an annoyed look. "H-He! What's the big idea?!" She yelled as she began flailing around to try and escape, but to no avail. "Even with all my mana, I still can't escape!" She whined as Diablo glared at her with killer intent.
"Great Rimuru, Great Y/N, how shall I dispose of this ridiculous little bug?" Diablo asked as Ramiris glared at him.
"Excuse me!? What's your problem!? What did I do to you?!" Ramiris whined while throwing punches in the air towards Diablo. "Th-This is clearly no ordinary man!" Diablo exclaimed in anger while she continued flailing around in his hand.
"Um, Great Rimuru...Who's the fairy?" Fuze asked in wonder.
"Oh, she's a friend of mine named Ramiris. Despite how she looks, she's actually a Demon Lord." Rimuru said as Malenia, who was asleep on the couch, suddenly opened her eyes and the snot bubble in her nose popped once she heard the name.
"Ah...A Demon Lord..." Fuze said awkwardly with some skepticism.
"I'll have you know I'm one of the Ten Great Demon Lords!" Ramiris said to Fuze, who found it hard to believe. "Hey, you! Be a little more surprised! When they speak of Ramiris, the Fairy of the Labyrinth, they mean me! What's with the bland response?" Ramiris said in irritation.
"Oh, well...I was so shocked by the Storm Dragon's and Chaotic Gojira's return, I suppose I'm just all out of surprise..." Fuze admitted awkwardly with a smile as Kaijin and Kurobe glanced behind them to see Veldora reading, but noticed Malenia got up and walked around them.
"What? The Storm Dragon and Chaotic Gojira? You're saying Veldora and Big Sis Malenia are back? That can't be true!" Ramiris said in total disbelief as she began throwing air punches like she was in a fight. "I sank Veldora with a single punch in the day and dragged around Big Sis Malenia by her tail! They were all bark and no bite!" She began bragging as Rimuru and you smirked knowing what was about to happen. "Their time is long past, is all I'm saying! It's not the Breeze Dragon or the Gentle Gojira you should be afraid of! You ought to fear and worship me! Hwaaahahahahahaha! Hwaaaaaaahhhahahahahaha!" Ramiris began laughing as Rimuru held out his hands for Diablo to hand her over to him.
Diablo followed through as he placed Ramiris into the palms of Rimuru before he turned to the side and walked up to Malenia who held out one hand with a smile on her face. Rimuru gently placed Ramiris on her feet into the palm of Malenia as your mother slowly lifted her up to her face and made sure she could look Ramiris eye to eye. Ramiris continued to laugh for a few moments as Malenia grinned with her fangs bared and a cheeky look in her eye.
"Drag me by my tail, huh? Seems like we have a difference in memories, huh, Rami?" Malenia spoke up while walking back over to Veldora as she crouched down next to her student and Ramiris opened her eyes from hearing an old nickname.
"Huh? Big Sis?" Ramiris said in surprise as she looked to her right and saw Veldora. "Veldora?" She said in wonder as the two of them stared at her without uttering a word, and the moment she laid eyes on them, she felt their presence and imagined their true forms overlapped with their human faces. "Ahh..." Ramiris squeaked as she passed out in Malenia's hands.
"Heh, serves you right..." Malenia chuckled with a toothy grin.
"Don't mess with her while she's unconscious..." You chopped your mother on the head with your tail from where you stood as she pouted at you while rubbing her head as Veldora just stared in wonder of what they were supposed to do with an unconscious Ramiris. "Hah, can we continue." You gestured to Rimuru as he gave you a shrug with a smile before turning back forward to be serious.
"Now, time to get down to business for real. This is how we're going to make our announcement to the public. We'll state that we're Demon Lords, but now how we awakened. We'll say that the greedy King Edmaris of Falmuth sent an army to attack Tempest, started a war, and lost. Rather than saying they were wiped out by a single Demon Lord, other nations will have an easier time believing they were defeated in battle. Following that, the massive number of casualties in the Falmuth army was enough misfortune to break the seal, reviving the sleeping Evil Dragon and Catastrophic Gojira, The Storm Dragon Veldora and Chaotic Gojira Malenia." Rimuru explained as everyone turned to Veldora who was reading, and Malenia who was drawing on Ramiris' face while she slept.
"Hm? What's up" Veldora asked in confusion of their stares.
"I don't mind at all. Feel free to toss my name 'round however ya like." Malenia said as she stuck her tongue out in concentration while drawing a circle around Ramiris' eye and giggling cheekily.
"Then Youm the champion and us worked together and, at the cost of many sacrifices, convinced Veldora and Malenia, and made a deal by calming their rage and honoring them as guardians. That gives meaning to us becoming Demon Lords, puts all the blame on the Kingdom of Falmuth, and emphasizes that we were in the right." Rimuru explained as Fuze was intrigued by this course of information distribution.
"Hmm..." Fuze was in deep contemplation as Gazel turned around in his seat to him.
"Just think about it. People fear those they do not understand, and will never accept them. If someone who wiped out an army of 20,000 offered to be your friend, you wouldn't trust them, would you?" Gazel brought up good points while turning back forward. "But if we say it was the Storm Dragon Veldora's and Chaotic Gojira Malenia's doing, they're more likely to understand. The two of them are Catastrophe's by themselves, after all." Gazel voiced the kind of power and danger Veldora and Malenia would pose to a nation.
"Kukukuku...!" Veldora chuckled through his teeth as he turned his head while laying on the couch. "You recognize my genius! You are a man of good judgement!" Veldora was impressed by Gazel's knowledge of him.
"He wasn't calling you a genius!" Rimuru corrected in annoyance.
"What can I say, it's a natural talent..." Malenia said dramatically while looking off into the distance.
"No, that's not a talent that most would praise..." You retorted to her with a deadpan look on your face.
"I'm in favor of this plan." Erald spoke in favor of altering the information that would spread through the world as he turned to his daughter who sat on his right. "It's better to let people think Master Rimuru and Master Y/N's evolutions to Demon Lords made negotiation with Veldora and Malenia possible than to be feared and hated because my daughter led these two to become Demon Lords." He said as Eren nervously laughed.
"There are other advantages to it. The other Demon Lords who are wary of me might mistakenly think Veldora and Malenia are the only threats to them, right? That'll make it easier for me to take action. And the most significant advantage is that when they find out we can negotiate with Veldora and Malenia, there won't be many nations dumb enough to mess with us. If anyone has an opposing view, let's hear it. Especially you two, Veldora, Malenia, since this would saddle our sins on you both." Rimuru said with a hint of guilt.
"That's not a problem at all. I've made up my mind to shoulder your karma alongside you both. Use the influence of the Storm Dragon all you like." Veldora said with full reassurance to you two.
"My only child is trying to protect the things he loves, so as his mother, I will give him all the support I can muster. Also, even though you're not the same species, I consider you a second son, so whatever you two wish to do in regards of me, I will provide all that I can." Malenia spoke in a formal an tender manner as she wanted to get the message across that she doesn't mind whatever you do while using her name.
"Okay. Thanks." Rimuru said with gratitude.
"I do agree with this plan! It should allow us to continue negotiating with other countries as we have been." Rigurd spoke with enthusiasm.
"Yes! You both have done it again, Great Rimuru! Great Y/N! A brilliant idea!" Shion said in amazement.
"Nah, it was King Gazel who came up with it. We just organized our thoughts together." Rimuru said as Gazel closed his eyes and kept his stern poker face.
"Thanks a lot, King Gazel. Now we know that when we do anything, we can count on Great Rimuru and Great Y/N's backing." Suphia said with gratitude as the other two Beastketeers nodded in agreement.
"I see. This means we can focus on Clayman. If we don't win, it will mean I was incompetent." Benimaru put himself at a high standard to meet for the battle against Clayman and his forces.
"Okay, so that's how we'll tell everyone that we became Demon Lords. Everyone on board so far?" Rimuru asked as he received nods from everyone, but raised his brow when you tapped him on the shoulder. "What is it, Y/N?" He asked you.
"Hmm...Maybe we should just announce that you've turned into a Demon Lord?" You said as he was surprised.
"Huh? Why?" Rimuru asked as you put your hand to your chin while your tail wagged around signaling you were deep in thought.
"Well, I'm sure it would work, but you also have to think that announcing two Demon Lords were born in the same nation is a pretty scary thing. Combine that with mom and Veldora, we're still kind of asking people to be scared of us. I just think that if we were to keep my awakening under wraps, it would make negotiations with different nations a little easier." You explained as the others were surprised about how thorough you were thinking about this situation.
"But if we keep you hidden, you're basically renouncing your role one of the leaders of Tempest." Rimuru said as your subordinates were shocked.
"Great Y/N, this is--!?" Rigurd was about to speak up, but you raised your hand to stop him as you smiled reassuringly.
"I'm not saying that I'm stepping down. I'm just saying that maybe I should lay low and stay out of the spot light for the time being. Unveiling two Demon Lords from the same nation could spark controversy and paint targets on our backs from the other Demon Lords. I think it would be better and easier for us to approach the other Demon Lords if we only announced one Demon Lord here in Tempest." You explained as you turned to your friend. "What do you think?" You asked him.
"Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. What do you think, Gazel?" Erald asked as Gazel crossed his arms.
"There shouldn't be any issues in terms of the distribution of information. I see no problem." Gazel confirmed the vitality of such a plan.
"Are you sure?" Rimuru asked as you nodded.
"I also wanna get the surprise on Clayman when he thinks he's beaten one of us. I wanna see the look in his face when he realizes he messed with the wrong people." You said with a low and fearsome tone.
"All right. We'll move ahead with that course of action, and conceal the fact that Y/N had awakened and evolved into a Demon Lord. Is that all right?" Rimuru asked as everyone agreed to the notion. "Okay, as I said earlier, I'd like to decide where we go from here based on that. Youm." Rimuru called as the champion.
"Eh?" Youm was confused before realizing he should act a bit more proper as he stood up and cleared his throat. "Yes." He spoke as the other high ranking members from other countries stared at him in wonder.
"We'd like to back Youm the Champion as the new king of Falmuth, with the goal of founding a new nation." Rimuru said.
"What? You're backing Youm?" Fuze said in surprise as Gazel remained silent and Erald stared with a skeptical eye.
"First, we'll release King Edmaris and make him pay reparations for his invasion of Tempest." Rimuru explained the first phase in terms of changing Falmuth.
"But I can't imagine that kingdom paying reparations willingly." Fuze commented on the stubbornness that Falmuth is known for.
"That's what we want. The issue of reparations will only be impetus. Our real goal is to start a civil war within Falmuth. We'll destroy it so it can be reborn as a new nation, with Youm the champion as its new king. Fortunately, he's popular among its citizens." Rimuru explained as there were still some unsure and questionable looks on Erald and Gazel's faces.
"Hm...Very well. I have no objection to the plan itself." Gazel was the first to accept such a plan as he suddenly stood up and turned to Youm, making the champion nervous from the sheer statue of the King of Dwargon as he felt a fierce and powerful aura that shook Youm's nerves. "Are you prepared to stand and suffer for the good of your people?!" Gazel put Youm in a serious spot as on the outside things were normal, but Youm could feel the pressure Gazel was putting on him as a future king. "Well, are you?" He asked in a sharp tone as Youm was extremely nervous before he stuffed his unease away and put on the best smirk of confidence he could.
"Heh. Like I care." Youm said as Gazel furrowed his brow at him. "I'm not becoming king because I want to. But this role was handed to me based on trust. What kind of man would I be if I refused?" He said as that sentence put an impressed smirk on Gazel's face. "I just don't want to decide I can't do it and give up before I try." Youm said as he turned bback to Mjurran behind him. "Of course, part of it is that I want to impress the woman I love, too." He admitted as Mjurran blushed from the statement and turned away bashfully.
"Stupid..." Mjurran muttered in embarrassment as Suphia stared at her with a cheeky grin.
"If I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna give it all I've got." Youm spoke his true feelings for the role as he and Gazel stared each other down.
"He's definitely stupid, but it's just like him to say that. King of the Dwarves, I give you my guarantee. While it's true that he's stupid..." Grucius was implying too much one one thing as it annoyed Youm a bit.
"Stop calling me stupid!" Youm complained.
"He's not irresponsible. Until the day he is called the Hero King, like you, I, Grucius, swear to keep watch over him." Grucius declared his loyalty to supporting Youm as Mjurran stood up in agreement.
"I swear it, as well." Mjurran said as Gazel stared at the three of them as they seemed sure of their choices and had looks full of resolve.
"...Hmph. Very well, then." Gazel said as he sat back down in his chair and looked over at Youm one more time. "If you are ever in need, just come to me." He said with a sincere smile as Youm and the others were surprised to gain the approval of the Hero King. "That said, you certainly found quite the interesting man." He said to Mjurran.
"Imagine becoming a king to impress the woman you love." Erald teased at the two of the as Gazel and him shared a humored laugh.
"Uh, er..." Youm didn't know what to say as he and Mjurran were embarrassed after what they told them.
"Not bad, Grucius. Never thought I'd hear you so boldly betray Lord Carrion right in front of us." Phobio teased as Grucius turned around nervously.
"N-No, that's not what I..." Grucius was the next one to be awkward as he realized how what he said sounded like so.
"Youm, what my kingdom desires of you is agricultural production. Having something you can specialize in will make it easier to co-exist and co-prosper with other nations than competing with them over it, yes?" Gazel gave him some advice that Youm happily would follow.
"We'll second that request, Youm." Rimuru spoke up as he turned to you both. "We'll talk later about what crops we want." He was quick to jump on board for creating relations with the future Falmuth.
"On top of things as always, eh? You two can count on me. Falmuth's agriculture is pretty advanced, so I think they'll accept." Youm said confidently.
"Then, as the representative of the Kingdom of Blumund, I have a suggestion." Fuze spoke up and stood from his seat as you all turned to him.
"A suggestion?" Rimuru asked in wonder.
"I believe we can also contribute to the backing of Youm for king. Blumund is friendly with two nobles of Falmuth, Marquis Muller and Count Herman. Why don't we negotiate with them to join our side? When Youm rises to his new position, I believe they can be relied upon to support him." Fuze suggested.
"That would be great, but...Even if you are the Guildmaster, can you make that decision here?" Rimuru asked in wonder.
"Please understand that I stand here today as a man of the state. I speak not as the Guildmaster, but as assistant leader of the intelligence bureau." Fuze advised to refer to him as such a role.
"Uh-huh...And you say we can trust these nobles?" Rimuru asked him.
"Marquis Muller is actually a distant relative of the king of Blumund. And Count Herman owes Marquis Muller a tremendous debt, so he would never betray him." Fuze assured the cooperation from the two nobles.
"I get it. Though, is it alright for you to be sharing such a huge secret like this?" You asked in worry of Fuze's position.
"Haha. Not to worry. I'm sure you knew already, did you not? Those who work for Dwargon's dark underbelly could rival Blumund's own intelligence bureau." Fuze said to Gazel as the Hero King had nothing to say.
"Okay, got it. Fuze, I want you to immediately contact Marquis Muller and Count Herman, and do it in utmost secrecy." Rimuru kindly requested.
"Of course. Leave it to me." Fuze said with reassurance.
"Youm, you hear that?" Rimuru said as Youm smacked his fist into his other hand with excitement.
"Yeah. I've got this." Youm said with confidence.
"Good. That should cover Youm the champion's takeover of Blumund. Let's make a glorious show of the champion's triumphant return!" Rimuru proclaimed as everyone agreed with excitement and optimism, making Youm bashful from all the support he was receiving.
"Hahahahahaha! Hahahahaha!" Erald suddenly broke out into a boisterous laughter as everyone looked to him strangely. "Look at all these leaders of nations openly sharing their honest thoughts with no suspicion whatsoever. You make me look silly for having my reservations. Ahahahahaha!" Erald said as Eren looked at her Dad with with exasperated eyes.
"Come on, Dad..." Eren muttered as her father stood up from his seat and turned his head back to stare at Fuze who was confused by why he looked at him so seriously.
"A question for you. Do you really trust Master Rimuru and Master Y/N, monsters?" Erald asked as this put the entire meeting in a tense and confused position.
"What...do you mean by that?" Fuze asked as he was unsure by Erald's intentions for this question.
"Even if a monster were to declare itself a nation's leader, was there any need for Blumund to formally recognize it as a nation, much less enter into such close ties with it?" Erald criticized the actions of the Kingdom of Blumund, making Fuze feel uneasy. "I'm saying that if it were me, I would have done business with them while keeping an eye on what the Western Holy Church did. Even if I made a profit, I would secretly submit reports to inform them of any problems, leaving everything in their hands. Is that not how a small nation should conduct itself?" He asked as this put things in a conflicting perspective for Fuze.
"Ahh...Agh...! All right, fine! I get it!" Fuze spoke in frustration as he stood from his seat. "Allow me to share my honest thoughts, then. Of course, I was of the same opinion as you, Archduke Erald." He said as he turned to you both. "Before Master Rimuru visited Blumund, and this was without Master Y/N being present during his visit, I said as much to my superior. But I was denied. He asked me, 'What if it leads to war?' To build a relationship of trust and an environment where we can co-exist and co-prosper was the route my nation's upper echelon decided upon. Of course, the Dwarven Kingdom and your nation are much larger, so I'm sure you have far more options. But if a small nation like mine makes one mistake, it's done for. If we're putting our fate on the line anyway, we'd rather put our trust in a pair of monster leaders than seek the Western Holy Church's aid. That's my reason." Fuze spoke on how much faith he and his nation had in yours rather than the Church's, making you and Rimuru smile from the trust he built up for you two.
"So you came here to assist Master Rimuru and Master Y/N. Was that also your superior's decision?" Erald asked him.
"Precisely. Now that we've entered a mutual security pact with them, I have been ordered to uphold it at all costs. Of course, even if I broke my promise with my nation, I still would have come here. I am a free man, after all." Fuze said with a small smirk before slumping his shoulders and sighing with a mentally exhausted face. "Why did I accept this job?" He muttered in wonder of his decisions before turning to you and Rimuru with a smile. "The moment I became a member of Blumund's intelligence bureau was the moment my luck ran out." He admitted.
"Who is your superior, anyway?" Rimuru asked as Fuze slowly sat back down in his chair.
"The king of the nation himself." Fuze said as Erald bowed his head to him.
"You must forgive me, Master Fuze. But thanks to you, I now clearly understand Blumund's intentions." Erald said to him.
"I trust Rimuru and Y/N, so there's no reason for you to doubt them." Erald spoke to try and sway Erald's trust in you both.
"So you say, Gazel, but the decision to enter diplomatic relations with a nation of monsters cannot be made so easily. I just developed a new respect for the king of Blumund." Erald replied to Gazel.
"Heh, please. Your decision was made right from the start. That's why you're here. Erald the Tactician, what is your decision?" Gazel called him by his other title.
"I have reached my own personal decision, but before I give it..." Erald trailed off as he turned around to face you and Rimuru. "May I asked one more question?" He asked as you and Rimuru were left in wonder of what he wanted to ask while Eren pouted from her father's actions.
"Come on, Dad. Stop putting on airs and just answer him already." Eren said out loud and blatantly as Kaval and Gido looked at her in shock of hew straightforwardness while Erald was surprised.
"P-Princess! You shouldn't say that!" Kaval said with a nervous smile.
"That's right! He's trying his best to look good!" Gido and Kaval tried defending her father's performance as Erald has a bashful pink hue on his face.
"How the mighty tactician has fallen..." Gazel muttered as he watched Erald's daughter take him down in one swoop.
You and Rimuru glanced at one another and shrugged shoulders before turning back to Erald with serious looks on your faces. All of a sudden, the gazebo filled with a tremendous and heavy amount of aura as everyone looked to see you two unleashing your Demon Lord powers. Rimuru was unleashing a purple aura with glowing purple eyes while you unleashed a dark blue and abyss like aura with your eyes shining pure blue. Your powers easily overfilled the gazebo and spilled out into the area as you both were intent on listening to Erald.
"We're listening, Erald." Rimuru said before suddenly your aura bloomed even farther.
Everyone in the gazebo except for Erald watched in shock as your aura spread so far and changed form and resemble the head of a Gojira as its eyes glared at everyone with a fear inducing stare. Your dorsal plates flashed white as the aura that wrapped around your body turned black like shadows before changing into a blue aura that reached to the spirit Gojira's head.
"Heh? Not bad..." Malenia said with a smirk while looking at how well you have your power under control.
"The Demon Lord aura...I see now. It is intense. Though Y/N's aura is a bit different as I can sense killer intent behind his aura..." Erald thought while holding his poker face as in his eyes, you truly resembled a monster in humanoid form. "Then, Demon Lord Rimuru, Demon Lord Y/N, let me asked you this. What do you intend to do with your powers as Demon Lords?" He asked as this question was surprising to both of you as your aura's dissipated and your eyes returned to normal.
"Huh? Oh, is that all?" Rimuru said with a smile on his face as you two chuckled together, leaving him confused.
"Is that...'all'?" Erald repeated in wonder of your behaviors as you looked to him.
"The answer's simple. We want to create a world that's comfortable to live in, the way we like it. A prosperous world where as many people as possible can always be smiling." Rimuru explained as you nodded in agreement.
"And you really think you can create such a dream world in reality?" Erald asked you two in disbelief of your optimism.
"That's the whole reason for us obtaining this power. If you only speak of your dreams but don't have the means to make them come true then its all just a farce. It works the other way around, also, having power but no ideals or goals is just nothing." You explained before feeling a tap on your shoulder to turn and see Mai was the one who wanted your attention. "What is it?" You asked as she nervously pointed behind you to reveal the spirit Gojira you created with your aura had not dissipated, and was still glaring at everyone like it was going to eat them. "Ahhh! Shoot! How do I turn this off?! Return! Return, boy!" You yelled in surprise while swiping your hands at the spirt, trying to get it to shoo away, meanwhile after hearing what you two had to say, Erald smiled with humor.
"Ahahahahahaha! Delightful! You two are delightful, Demon Lord Rimuru! Demon Lord Y/N! Demon Lord of such deep karma, now even I can understand why you two awakened." Erald said with amazement before lowering himself down to one knee and bowing his before you two briefly before raising his head once more. "Forgive my rudeness, Demon Lords of Tempest. As the emissary of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion, I request the establishment of the diplomatic relations with the Jura Tempest Federation. I eagerly await your favorable reply." He spoke with great respect and formality to you both as you swallowed and slurped the last bit of the Gojira spirit into your belly and you and Rimuru looked at him with surprised looks.
"Dad!" Eren rushed to kneel beside her father.
"P-Princess!" Kaval rushed over to join them.
"Wait!" Gido was the last as they all knelt down before you two in representation of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion.
Rimuru and you shared a nod before you both walked over to the kneeling bunch as you extended your hand out to Erald while Rimuru spoke up.
"We were hoping to build a good relationship with you, too." Rimuru said as Erald raised his head to see you both smiling down at him with excitement. "We'd be happy to accept your offer." Rimuru said as Erald stood up swiftly to accept your hand in a firm shake, sealing the deal to establish friendly relations between your nations.
Everyone stood from their seats and gave a round of congratulatory applause for the establishment of this new relationship between the Jura Tempest Federation and the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion, making it the third human nation to establish formal ties with yours after Blumund and Dwargon. After such a monumental event was now recorded in history for your nation, some time had passed as the sun began setting and it was nearing time for this meeting to wrap up.
"Okay, Benimaru!" Rimuru called to the red Kijin.
"Yes." Benimaru stood at attention with an expectant smile.
"Our enemy is Clayman. We're gonna crush him." Rimuru said as this was starting to enter Benimaru's realm of expertise.
"I've been awaiting that order." Benimaru said with a fire in his eyes.
"Yes! I can't wait!" Shion said with a fist pump of excitement as Rimuru turned to the Three Beastketeers.
"As for you Three Beastketeers and the other beast warriors..." Rimuru spoke to them as they were confident under yours and his rule.
"We are now under both your commands, Great Rimuru. Great Y/N." Albis said with loyalty.
"Yeah. You can count on us." Suphia said as Phobio nodded in agreement.
"Y/N, Rimuru, you sure you can win this?" Gazel said with a hint of worry for you both, but you two turned back to him with serious and angered looks on your faces.
"We will win. He pissed us off." Rimuru said as you smacked the ground with your tail in agreement.
"You make it sound so simple. Clayman is a Demon Lord who commands many majin. You mustn't be careless with him." Erald advised you two to approach with caution.
"That means nothing. It's quality that counts in war, not quantity." Rimuru retorted.
"He'll regret making us his enemy." You said while clenching your fists tightly.
"Goodness...I can hear the sound of my own common sense shattering." Erald said in amazement of how confident you two were in your plans to crush Clayman and his forces, and after all was said and done, you clapped your hands to bring things back down to a more relaxing tone.
"All right! Now that things are settled, I think it's a good time to end things off here and begin preparations for dinner and a good night's rest. How about everyone take some time to yourselves and get settled in for the night? we'll meet back together once dinner is prepped! Sound good?" You asked everyone with a hearty tone.
"Yes, sir!" Everyone responded as the group dispersed and everyone lingered off to do their own thing.
"So..." Rimuru muttered as you turned to him in confusion before following his gaze to see Veldora, Malenia, and now Ramiris reading manga on top of the book itself, on the couch they've been occupying the entire time. "Why did she come here, anyway?" He said in wonder as someone placed a drink down next to Ramiris and you saw it was a possessed golemn. "Isn't that..." He trailed off as the golemn bowed to you both respectfully while Ramiris kicked her legs around in the air with no care.
"Rimuru, who is that?" You asked in wonder of the duo that arrived.
"That's Berretta, a golemn I made to replace the one I accidentally broke that belonged to Ramiris. It's possessed by Great Demon and follows Ramiris around." Rimuru explained.
"Huuuuh?" You hummed in perplexment as you two walked up to Berretta while at Ramiris' side.
"Allow me to congratulate you on your evolutions to Demon Lords." Berretta bowed her head to you both before turning to look at you. "It's also a great honor to be meeting you for the first time, Great Y/N." She spoke with a graceful tone.
"Ah, no need to be so formal. It's nice to meet you, too, Berretta." You said as she nodded to you.
"Thanks. Glad to see you're doing well." Rimuru said to her.
"Ha, ha. Thank you for saying so." Berretta said with a form of gratitude.
"Yeah. Be sure to do whatever Ramiris asks of you, unless it's just impossible." Rimuru reminded her as Berretta seemed intent on that order.
"You can count on me. I will live up to your expectations." Berretta said with confidence.
"Hey, by the way, why'd you guys come here?" Rimuru asked as Berretta seemed to have just remembered their reason for coming to Tempest as she swiftly knelt down to Ramiris' level.
"Lady Ramiris, we have no time to waste on a thing like this. You must inform Great Rimuru and Great Y/N of that matter quickly." Berretta spoke to Ramiris like a mother urging her daughter to complete something important.
"Oh, shut up. I'm very busy right now." Ramiris said as she felt annoyed her 'reading time' was being interrupted.
"Please remember our purpose for coming here." Berretta urged her master to complete their task.
"Look, I've just had a meeting with my destiny!" Ramiris said in an annoyed tone before she grew excited sparkles in her eyes with a cat-like smile. "Who is the heroine in this fantastic text they call a 'manga' going to choose?" She said in excitement and wonder of her current manga series.
"Hey, Ramiris! If you don't want me to spoil who she ends up with, tell me why you're here right now!" Rimuru threatened as you were shocked by such a claim.
"Yes, sir!" Ramiris instantly stood to her feet in fear of such a thing happening.
"Huh? You'd really do that...?" You said nervously as he stood firm by his threat and Ramiris floated up to Rimuru's level to look him eye to eye.
"Ahem." Ramiris cleared her throat properly before taking a deep breath in and then speaking. "All right, I'll say it again." She started before raising her hand and throwing it down to point at you both as you stared at her tiny finger in confusion. "This country, Tempest, is doomed to fall!" She exclaimed as you two remained silent in wonder of what this claim meant. "Heh! Are you surprised?" She asked playfully.
"Okay, enough of that." Rimuru said as he felt exhausted from her word play.
"Yeah, well, the thing is, I don't want Tempest to fall! That's why I came all the way out here! You should be grateful!" Ramiris said with her hands on her hips as she floated in the air.
"Why is it doomed, though?" Rimuru asked in calm and curious tone.
"Don't panic! Just calm down!" Ramiris was acting as if you two were entering despair, when you really weren't. "Now, listen! This story has to be told in order!" Ramiris explained as everyone came back to listen in on the conversation.
"We're not panicking, actually..." Rimuru said as you two stared at Ramiris strangely as she was the only one being dramatic.
"On Demon Lord Clayman's proposal..." Ramiris trailed off as she seemed emotionally turmoiled.
"Clayman?" Rimuru said in confusion of his involvement in this specific manner.
"Walpurgis has been set in motion!" Ramiris exclaimed dramatically while throwing her hands into the air.
"...What's a Walpurgis? Food?" You asked with a raised brow as your tail waved side to side in wonder of what that would look like.
"Wrong!" Ramiris yelled at you as you flinched in surprise. "It's the Demon Lord's banquet. A very special event that all Demon Lords attend! That's what Walpurgis is." Ramiris said as she tried to act cool and composed.
"It is written in ancient literature that when the Demon Lords assemble, a great war ensues." Erald explained of such a prophecy.
"A great war?" Rimuru said in confusion.
"The day on which the Demon Lords gather was named 'Walpurgis' by the Western Holy Church." Erald stated as this only solidified the importance of such a meeting.
"So it's when the Demon Lords get together to start a war?" Rimuru asked Ramiris for confirmation.
"No, it's not! I've got things to do, and I don't want to waste my time on war!" Ramiris denied in a whiny manner as you two stared at her with deadpan expressions on your faces.
"She doesn't seem like she has much to do..." You and Rimuru thought skeptically of Ramiris.
"Listen, Walpurgis has been held several times. It's an event where the Demon Lords get together to drink tea while discussing urgent reports and amusing topics. So it's nothing as dramatic as a war." Ramiris explained in a lax manner.
"So it's basically a get together of people in the same profession...I guess things between worlds aren't too different after all. It's like when I took my department out for drinks after a finished product..." You said in irony.
"And why would a tea party doom Tempest to fall?" Rimuru asked her in confusion.
"You're still not getting it! The problem isn't Walpurgis itself. It's what they'll be discussing!" Ramiris specified the problem being the topic of Walpurgis.
"Which is?" Rimuru asked for calrification.
"Listen. Walpurgis must be approved by three Demon Lords before it can be held. And the ones who gave Clayman the approval this time...were Frey and Milim." Ramiris revealed.
"Milim, huh?" Rimuru muttered as you furrowed your brows with worry over the energetic Demon Lord you grew close to.
"Frey..." Albis muttered the name of the one who snuck an attack against Carrion as Suphia and Phobio both grew angered from the mention of the Sky Queen.
"And the topic will be the birth of a new power in the Great Forest of Jura, one whose leaders proclaims themselves Demon Lords!" Ramiris explained with dramaticism, but then changed to a worried look while staring at you both. "Did you two really proclaim yourselves as Demon Lords?" She asked you both.
"I have, but Y/N will be keeping his a secret. We don't regret it, and we haven't looked back." Rimuru spoke on both of yours behalf.
"Knowing you, that's not too surprising. It's probably going to bring you a lot of trouble, but with the power you two have, you should be fine." Ramiris decided to set her worries aside to have faith in yours and Rimuru's abilities as your subordinates agreed.
"So is Clayman's goal to sanction me?" Rimuru asked in regards to himself since he will be the only one announcing his awakening into a True Demon Lord.
"In this business, it's an unspoken rule that you're free to sanction whoever you want. He said his reason for proposing that we hold Walpurgis was because of Demon Lord Carrion's betrayal." Ramiris revealed as this was shocking information to the Beastketeers.
"What does that mean?!" Phobio asked in anger as Ramiris stared at them plainly.
"Who are you people?" Ramiris said in wonder of their involvement.
"They're the Three Beastketeers who serve Carrion." Rimuru revealed as Ramiris just took note of them.
"Huh...Well, it won't do you any good to be mad at me." Ramiris informed them.
"What betrayal does he claim Lord Carrion has committed?" Albis asked in a fierce tone.
"He broke the non-aggression pact with the Great Forest of Jura and informed you that the majin called Mjurran worked for Clayman, right?" Ramiris asked for confirmation.
"And then I killed Mjurran, right?" Rimuru finished connecting the dots as everyone glanced at Mjurran who was the connection to the incidents. "I see. Is Clayman hoping to take control over the Forest of Jura?" Rimuru asked her as Ramiris seemed irritated in your attitudes.
"You know, you're acting so calm, but this is a big deal! Carrion was apparently defeated by Milim, and Clayman has ordered all of his majin to deploy!" Ramiris said as this was a startling reveal.
"Huh? You mean his forces are already on the move? For an attack?" You said in surprise.
"Damn you, Clayman...You're more cunning than I thought." Rimuru said with a hint of irritation towards the Demon Lord.
"I'm telling you, this is no time to be so calm!" Ramiris whined while flying around frantically before stopping briefly and catching her breath.
"Relax, would you? For one thing, I didn't kill Mjurran." Rimuru said as Ramiris was confused.
"What does that mean?" Ramiris asked in wonder of what he meant.
"It means Clayman is just making it all up." Rimuru revealed the trick that Clayman had walked right into.
"And you can prove that?" Ramiris said skeptically as Rimuru turned his head and Ramiris followed his gaze to land on the alive and well Mjurran as she stepped forward. "Hm?" She hummed in wonder of why they were staring at her.
"Um, Demon Lord Ramiris...the majin he allegedly killed is me." Mjurran revealed to her.
"Eh?" Ramiris said as she didn't know if what she heard was correct.
"I am Mjurran." Mjurran confirmed her identity.
"Huh?" Ramiris said with surprised eyes before she began racking her brain trying to understand the situation, making strange faces while working out what all this meant, before it finally clicked in her head. "Oh! I get it! So the bad guy is Clayman!" Ramiris said as you and Rimuru chuckled at her finally realizing the trap Clayman fell into. "Clayman! You thought you could fool even me! But Great Detective Ramiris cannot be fooled! I'm the Queen of Spirits, and despite how I look, I possess the wisdom of many long years! In the name of my grandma!" Ramiris was enacting a scene she had read from the manga that she was working through as she swapped voices again. "Well, say something! Who're you calling 'grandma'?! How rude!" She exclaimed as you all stared at her strangely.
"Maybe printing those were a mistake..." You thought as you stared at the pile of Manga she was trying to read through.
"Hey, Ramiris, there's one thing I want to ask you." Rimuru said to her.
"What is it? You can ask Great Detective Ramiris anything." Ramiris said with high praise of herself.
"Clayman made his move after taking the bait I offered him, the killing of Mjurran. What do you think the other Demon Lords will do?" Rimuru asked in wonder of the reactions of the other Demon Lords as everyone was also left with great wonder.
"Huh? I don't know." Ramiris answered blatantly, which was a let down for you all. "I was just told that Walpurgis is happening because of this or that reason, and that I have to be there." Ramiris explained the limited information that she was told as this was unsettling and awkward to hear.
"When is Walpurgis? Do you know the exact day?" Rimuru asked her nervously as Ramiris raised a brow in thought.
"Well, um...one, two...Three days from now, the night of the new moon." Ramiris said while counting on her fingers.
"That's pretty soon." Rimuru said as he thought about something for a few moments before looking back to Ramiris. "Why did you come to tell me about this?" He asked in wonder of her reasons for showing up here.
"Well, if you're killed..." Ramiris trailed off as she floated up and gently landed on top of Berretta's head. "We don't know what'll happen to my Berretta, right?" Ramiris said.
"Thank you for your concern." Berretta said with a monotone sense of gratitude as Ramiris pointed to you both.
"The point is, I'm here because I made up my mind to take your side! So you don't mind if I make an entrance to my Labyrinth here, right?" Ramiris said with confidence that you two would allow such a thing.
"Yes, I do mind!" Rimuru shot down her request as this annoyed her.
"Aww! C'mon! Don't sweat the little details!" Ramiris tried sweet talking him down.
"I will sweat them, and so should you!" Rimuru argued with an annoyed smile.
"Fine. I'll keep reading." Ramiris just ignored the topic and went back to reading her manga.
"Hey!" Rimuru was annoyed by her attitude as you sighed at how complicated this relationship seemed to be between them.
"This is gonna be a long night..." You sighed in exhaustion as Mai gently patted you on the back sympathetically, as this discussion seemed like it was going to continue all the way until dinner time.