3rd Pov
The crisis of Ruberios ended...now Dawn was listening and going through Yuu and Eleonor's investigation about the Eastern empire's force.
Dawn : This is more than I expected...Rudra is really planning an all out war.
It seems Rudra's wariness about Dawn made him take more precaution...at this rate, the current Tempest won't be able to win this...
Well that's not quite right because Rimuru is much stronger too...
Dawn : You two did a good job...
Yuu : Naturally !
Eleonor : If I may, I also have a separate report to say...
Dawn : Sure, go ahead.
Still looking at the document listing the empire's military force, their weaponry and more...he listened to his subordinate's report.
Eleonor : I have a message to relay to you...
Dawn : A message ? From who ?
Eleonor : I...don't really know...
Dawn : ???
Tilting his head, he put down the document to seriously listen to her...
Eleonor : It was a few days ago...just before coming back...
Flashback
Eleonor was walking through the busy streets of the Eastern empire...making sure no one was following her, it was time to meet up with Yuu.
Things were going on smoothly and she had no reason to expose herself to danger any longer...but then, in the middle of the crowded street.
A figure surged from behind her...a creepy feeling washing her whole existence, Eleonor stood still frozen.
???: I have a message for Dawn Arceid, deliver it without fault.
Eleonor : ...
???: Tell him word for word : The origin of a day always starts by its dawn.
A coded message ? A hidden meaning ? This was clearly something destined toward Dawn and Eleonor couldn't grasp its meaning.
Still she nodded nervously understanding the danger of the situation...
???: Good.
After that, the figure disappeared the same way it appeared...like vanishing into the air...
Flashback End
This report was oddly worrying..;a mysterious figure capable of handling Eleonor like that ?
Dawn : Did you recognize the gender at least ?
Eleonor : The voice was grumpy and cold...almost robotic, I feel like it wasn't even a living being who talked...
This left a strong impact on the poor girl as she couldn't stop shaking.
Dawn : I see...and you Yuu ? Anything to say ?
Yuu : Well...when I found Eleonor, she was shaking like a little puppy...
Dawn : (Could it be the Author ? But I don't see him giving this kind of message...)
Another unknown factor was added to the whole plot...
Dawn : I'll look into this later...for now, prepare the genesis knight for their first official mission.
This sure came at the wrong time, his schedule was overcharged...adding more would turn everything unmanageable.
Dawn : In 3 days from now on...Hinata will leave with a few holy knights to Tempest, i will assign Shi and Yuu in that unit.
Yuu : Sure, is this when we get rid of the clergy ?
Dawn : Yes, with the help of Shu and Flora...we already determined all their possible moves...(Well I have the knowledge of Tensura, so it was an easy task.)
Eleonor : Then what should I and the remaining members do ?
Dawn : Naturally, everyone will be busy this time...after all one of us was taken away by the giant...
The room growing colder, the two girls gulped nervously as they witnessed the wrathful aura of a double awakened hero.
Dawn : Eleonor, you and Lucas will go to the border where Horizon was captured, examine the place and give me a report in a week.
Eleonor : Hai ! (Ugh, with that guy...)
Dawn : Shu-kun will remain here in case of an unexpected attack...and I have something else planned for Flora.
Giving out his instruction, he made sure to omit no detail that could endanger his people.
Dawn : With that, you both can take your leave and rest...your infiltration in the eastern empire must have been quite prude.
Yuu : It wasn't much but if you insist.
Eleonor : A good bath is always welcomed.
Stretching her arm, they could finally get a well deserved break...turning around, Dawn stared at their retreating back with a thoughtful look.
But suddenly, his vision was troubled as he felt a light disconfort...his eyes fixed at Yuu's back, he widened them when he made a realization.
Dawn : (Wait...Yuu does know about Tensura novel...but that shouldn't be possible.)
Realization washed over his mind...Sola and him had their own circumstance for knowing the novel but Yuu...
The first and only deduction Dawn could form was that Yuu is affiliated to the Author...
Dawn : Yuu...
A slight sense of betrayal invading his thought process, he unconsciously grabbed his blade while releasing silent killing intent.
Dawn : (She might be a threat...i have to eliminate her right now.)
Getting up, his sudden movement made the two girls turn around...Yuu's eyes meeting with Dawn, his killing intent instantly disappeared.
He couldn't explain why but somehow...he didn't want her to be an enemy, not perhaps within his soul, something told him that she wasn't.
Yuu : Is something wrong ?
Eleonor : Perhaps, boss should get some rest too.
Expressing their worry, Dawn shook his head before walking away.
Dawn : I was about to leave too...
Hiding his discomfort, he decided to leave as fast as he could...
Dawn Pov
My head hurts so much right now...I can't even pressure myself to use Eyes of Fate to look into Yuu's nature...
Now that i think, there were so many hints that i missed...no i didn't miss them, i did notice and even question myself about it...
But subconsciously, i rejected any hypothesis that Yuu could be an enemy...why ? I don't really know myself, sure we are close but if it came to this...
I wouldn't hesitate to strike her down...
Dawn : What is happening with me...
Holding my head, I groaned in light pain...when I thought about getting rid of her, the pain intensified...
Flora : You seem in pain, leader...have some tea.
Looking up, I didn't notice Flora entering the room or even putting down a cup of tea right under my nose...
Was I that distracted ? This office is like my home so I would naturally relax but still...something is really wrong with me.
Dawn : Yeah...thanks.
Flora : I heard from Yuu-chan that you needed me...(Please...something light this time ! >.<)
Dawn : I need you to find a location for me.
Flora : A location ? Oh, you need the underworld influence ?
That's right...though this underworld isn't the same as where the demon lives...the underworld we are talking about is the darkness of human land.
Where illegal activity and crimes reign...Flora Eta Florance, when she isn't a member of this unit, she is the queen of the largest casino in the underworld.
A place located under Ingracia where money flows in abundance...in fact Flora's networth alone would be 3/4 of what Ruberios is capable of gathering at this instant...
Flora : I see, then I'll prepare an event and invite all the great merchants and underworld bosses capable of helping.
Dawn : Set it in a month...i'll go there myself.
Flora : Really ? (Poor guys...you're all going to get interrogated by leader...)
I trust Flora's capability but the underworld bosses, who are a bunch of cunning and « evil » people...they can easily deceive others.
And someone like Flora who doesn't possess a mind type skill...she could be deceived.
Something that won't happen with my own skills...
Dawn : By the way, I think I found a good assistant for you.
Flora : An assistant ?
Dawn : Yes...Glenda, she is currently a member of the Ten greta saint.
I chuckled lightly at Flora's surprised expression...she couldn't possibly expect a great saint of all people.
But well Glenda is a avarious woman...she would do anything for money and gold, the perfect fit to work for Flora in the underworld.
And with the threat I gave her a few chapters ago...she won't dare go against me.
Dawn : I will get her after our visit to Tempest.
Flora : I see...I'll get everything ready by then.
Nodding, I grabbed the cup of tea and drank slowly...surely the warmness I felt from this half sweet drink reconforted me.
Flora : I hand picked the tea leaves this time, since I heard you were stressed, I opted for a sweeter one.
Dawn : I see...you are really good with these.
Staring at the clear green shade within the cup, I could see my reflection...so this is the expression I currently have.
Dawn : Shuna from Tempest is proficient with this art too...i'll introduce you to her later.
Flora : Really ? Thank you !
Smiling brightly, this girl sure was an enigma...in truth, Flora Eta Florance isn't really her name...
Her true name is Hua Florance...Eta being her sister who has become her alter ego and second persona.
Hua being her original name...meaning flower in chinese, that's right, Flora is a half chinese, half french girl...
Her kimono and passion in general is inspired from her asiatic genes while she had grown up in france.
Maybe that's why I feel at ease around her...after all we are really similar.
Dawn : You should take a few days off for now, we have to rest when we still can.
Flora : If you say so, you should rest too, leader.
Dawn : I still have some things to take care of.
Turning back to my paperwork, we just planted the seed to this world revolution...for now it's just Ruberios and its allies against the eastern empire and the remaining demon lord.
I also have to generalize the meaning of « monster » as they were deemed as enemies of humanity...that doctrine has to be abolished now.
Why didn't I do it earlier ? Because human fear majin...and to gain faith faster, you have to play on the general people's fear.
Flora : I see, I have more tea ready in the kitchen so don't hesitate to serve yourself.
Bowing her head for a moment, she slowly walked away...now that I think, will the Tempest founding festival still happen ?
Since Rimuru didn't become a demon lord in name...well we could still make it as an event that celebrates the union between monster and human.
Dawn : Reyhiem isn't back either...he should be in Falmuth right now.
Falmuth's current state isn't something we Ruberios has to meddle with...and Tempest is involved, they will fall soon.
Dawn : Time sure flies fast...at this rate, the Tenma war and great Tenma war is going to happen again.
3rd Pov
A few days then passed and finally, a squad composed of 7 people led by Hinata Sakaguchi departed from Ruberios.
At the same time, in Tempest...Rimuru was in the middle of a meeting with his executive.
Souei : Rimuru-sama, a group of holy knights has left Ruberios, they are led by Hinata Sakaguchi.
Rimuru : Already ?
Expressing a surprised expression...the incident of Ruberios's crisis happened a few days ago...he didn't expect them to move this fast.
Diablo : Mmh, it seems Reyhiem hasn't reached Ruberios yet...
Rimuru : It must be as Dawn-kun said, I guess I will meet Hinata earlier than expected.
Looking down with a thoughtful expression.
Shuna : Should we prepare a welcome party for them ?
Rimuru : Dawn-kun and Luminous did say they wanted an alliance so let's welcome them the best we can.
Shuna : As you wish.
Bowing, Shuna left first...even if the holy knight will arrive in a week or two, long preparations are needed to welcome important guests.
Rimuru : What about Falmuth ?
Diablo : Everything is going as planned, it seem after Ruberios's crisis, the procedure within Falmuth accelerated...King Edmaris already submitted his decision of stepping down as the ruler and elected his brother, Edward as the new king.
Rimuru : I guess Ruberios's incident acted as fuel...
The demon lords being enemies of humanity, probably every existing nation has mobilized their army in fear.
Falmuth wasn't an exception as before Edward even got the throne, he already started to gather troup and mercenaries.
Diablo : So far we can expect a sort of civil war around the time the holy knight arrives.
Rimuru : Good.
As they continued to discuss things, they stopped when a loud thud was heard...looking behind, Veldora who was previously reading his manga was now sitting straight.
His face showcasing pure horror.
Rimuru : Veldora ?
Veldora : N-no way...she is here !
Rimuru : She ? What do you mean ? Who ?
Questioning his weird behavior, he soon got his answer when he received an alarming thought communication from Treiny.
Treiny : (Lord Rimuru...we have a particular guest, I must let her enter...)
Rimuru : (What?)
The way she said it was like she was forced to let this person in...Rimuru tried to process everything that the said person was already in front of the door.
A cold aura emerging from the door frame...every executive aside from the two primordials set their guard up.
Veldora : Wait ! It's an order, everyone down !
Shockingly enough, Veldora who never acted that way before gave out an order...hesitant, the executives were no in a state of panic.
???: Ara~i didn't expect such a cold welcome.
Opening the door, the intruder or rather guest was a young lady with flawless white hair and busting blue eyes.
Her figure being apparent now, Veldora's face totally went pale as he crawled behind Rimuru.
Rimuru : E-eto...who are you ?
The slime couldn't properly notice it but the fierce presence of Velzard was intimidating for the others.
No one could move or talk properly as long as Velzard didn't want to...this is just how big the gap between the strongest true dragon alive and Tempest's current level is.
Velzard : I apologize for this sudden visit, I just came here to visit my little brother and also pass some time off in this nation.
Her gaze shifting from Rimuru to Veldora for a moment, the storm dragon was already crying in horror.
Rimuru : L-little brother ?
The slime's own eyes turning toward his sworn brother, Rimuru sweetdropped as he understood the situation.
Rimuru : (R-Raphael...don't tell me this lady is...)
Raphael : (Notice : This lady is most likely the White ice dragon, Velzard.)
Paling at his turn...they just got an unexpected and very dangerous guest...the way she walked in and talked wasn't formal.
It was like a goddess ordering some peasant to let her in...and the worst is that Tempest couldn't refuse her.
Velzard : By the way, don't mind me...just ask Veldora to guide me through your city.
Rimuru : Sure, Veldora-kun I hope your sister will have a great time with us.
Flashing a sweet smile, Rimuru didn't hesitate a second before throwing his friend under the bus...
Veldora now reached a state of total panic as he was forced to act as a tourist guide...
Back to Ruberios, Dawn was now in his official office...the one he used as the supreme commander of Ruberios.
Hinata departed 5 days ago...the overall situation around Ruberios has started to settle down and everyone's faith toward Luminism reached a new high.
Dawn : Come in.
Writing, he was really busy the last few days...and today he has a particular guest.
Dawn : What do you need, Cardinal Nickolaus ?
Nickolaus : I greet the supreme commander, and thank you for according to me some of your busy time.
Dawn : It's fine, just get to the point already.
His eyes kept fixing his paperwork as his hand moved around with a pencil in hand.
Nickolaus : The seven luminaries Clergy...they came to visit lady Hinata just before she left and from what I saw, I don't think your eminence is aware of that.
Dawn : I see...I guess those geezer finally made a move.
Nickolaus : (He isn't surprised ? No he already knew...then are we on the same side?)
Nickolaus already had suspicions about the Clergy wanting to get rid of Hinata...and he couldn't let that pass...
But at the same time, he didn't have the authority to oppose them...the only people who could were the holy emperor and pope Louis and the supreme commander Dawn Arceid.
But the cardinal feared that Dawn was on the Clergy's side...that's why he took precaution before coming.
In his necklace and glove, 9 disintegrations spells were charged and ready to be used.
Dawn : You know...even if you jumped at me from behind and let myself hit by disintegration, you still won't be able to get rid of me.
Nickolaus : I-i'm sorry, i was just being cautious.
Dawn : Don't mind it, anyway for the clergy I already planned to eliminate them.
The cardinal's eyes widened in surprise, he looked around briefly wondering if this was a trap or a test but all he could feel was sincerity.
Nickolaus : Is there anything I can help with ?
Dawn : Well, you can help with these first.
Looking to his side, there were 7 human tall stacks of paperwork...even if Dawn was digilent and worked fast, the workload was even worse than your usual overexploited salaryman work.
Nickolaus : (I-i guess i won't be able to join my bed tonight...and maybe tomorrow too...)
Hinata Pov
Traveling through the Western nation to get to the Jura forest was really interesting...the last time I did such a journey was just a few years ago.
Yet so much has changed, particularly in Blummund...is this Rimuru Tempest's influence ?
Shizue : Slime-san sure is incredible, I feel like it has been a decade since I came here.
Hinata : Y-you seem really close to Rimuru...
Shizue : Hinata-chan~what did i say about honorifics ?
Hick ! When Shizu-sensei decided to scold me for my hasty decision about Rimuru...-san, she forced me on my knee and i had to listen for 3 hours of torture lesson...
Hinata : You seem close to Rimu-Rimuru-san...
Shizue : Oh yeah, he was really nice to me when we met...(Actually, I heard he took my appearance as a model for his human form...i-i can't wait to see him...)
Anyway, 3 days left before we reach Tempest...though my instinct has been calling me out a few times now...
Hinata : (Still i can't see or feel any animosity...)
Turning around while we were still riding horses, I noticed the 4 holy knights that followed me which were Arnaud, Litus, Bacchus and Fritz.
There is also a new face which is Yuu-san, an otherworlder like me and Shizu-sensei...she is also the second in command of the genesis knight.
Thus her position is as high as mine here...
Yuu : I can feel some people tailing us from the shadows...we should accelerate.
Hinata : So there was really someone...
Shizue : Shouldn't we just confront them ?
I had the same thought, I'm confident in my capability...Shizu-sensei has become even stronger and this Yuu-san can't be weak either.
Along that, the four other knights with us are elite members of the church.
Fritz : Always ready for some fight !
Litus : I'll wait for the orders.
It seems everyone is fired up as well...as long as it's not a monster in its purest sense, we can win over anyone.
Yuu : No, we are nearing Tempest territory...if we engage in a fight here, our first image will be ruined.
Bacchus : So we just let them be ?
Yuu : Don't forget the people that are currently here, our journey isn't a secret...we are an official envoy from Ruberios to the monster nation who recently won a war against a super power like Falmuth.
Shizue : It's natural to spy on us but at the same time...no one is crazy enough to attack a group of knights led by the infamous Hinata Sakaguchi, right...
Hearing her say Infamous with my name made me cringe internally...that aside, it makes sense that some people are still good enough to spy on me without me knowing...
Arnaud : Still I feel uncomfortable now that I know we are being watched...
Yuu : (Well i could kill them now but i need to expose their true nature to the world before...those Clergies sure are underestimating me for sending just 3 of them.)
I shuddered when Yuu-san smiled...she isn't normal and someone you should avoid if you can...
I don't know what was on her mind just now but it definitely wasn't good.
Yuu : Let's accelerate, instead of 3 days, we'll get to Tempest tomorrow at noon.
Bacchus : Oi oi, you really want to kill our horse or what ?
Ugh, the way the knight under me are addressing Yuu-san is actually wrong...i hope she don't take it wrongly.
Yuu : Don't worry, the genesis knight might be a recent unit but you all can trust our individual capability.
Fritz : You sure sound like a narcissist.
Yuu : [Call of the wind].
Ignoring Fritz's rude remark, Yuu-san raised her arm and seemed to have altered the flow of the wind...this is using spirit, huh...
The way she is influencing the wind so the horse's run is smoother and less tiring for them...
She is good at manipulating them and what is this absurd amount of magicule...
Shizue : By the way, you mustn't anger Yuu-san, if you had seen her training...it was hell...
Hinata : I-if you say so...
Even Shizu-sensei is scared of her...oh dear lord, I hope everything will go well.
3rd Pov
Death...this sinister yet important concept was the only thing Gran, Luminary of the sun could see at the moment.
In front of him was a predator holding a legendary sword, his gleaming eyes addictively hunted him.
Gran : Tch...so you already knew about me...
Groaning while looking up, he already had both his arm severed, one of his legs torn up...there was no room to run.
Gran : Well, I couldn't expect to beat a legendary hero like you, Dawn Arceid...
Dawn : You're really loud.
What is happening ? Well simply, after every luminary departed to sabotage Hinata and Tempest, Gran was the only one left.
And Dawn jumped on the occasion to kill him.
Dawn : Anyway, you should worry a bit more, fallen hero Granbell, because I'll kill this fake and your true body today.
Gran : !!!
The luminary of the sun flinched when the mention of his true identity, and him of all people understood the weight of those words.
Dawn : I'll go for your true body in a few minutes, so wait for me there patiently.
Raising his arm, the silver blade shone along his pale blue eyes...Gran could only watch as his head was cut off destroying the connection between Granbell and his homunculus.
Waking up in his hideout, he groaned in annoyance...
Granbell : This is bad...a direct threat from this damn hero...
Standing up, he quickly went on to grab a few belongings...making enough noise to attract Mariabell's attention.
Mariabell : You are back ?
Granbell : We don't have much time, take a few valuables and we leave.
Mariabell : Huh ?
Granbell : We don't have much time, so do as I say.
Mariabell was for the first time shaken, Granbell her own grandfather was also showcasing a panic he had never displayed before.
Mariabell : What is happening ?
Granbell : Infiltrating Ruberios was a big mistake...this damn hero probably knew from the very start...
Mariabell : Hero ?
The candle lightening the room suddenly wore out as a figure appeared near the wall, crossing his arm he waited patiently hidden in the shadow.
Granbell : (This pressure...this unease palpable in the air...)
A single droplet of sweet falling from his forehead, he quickly turned toward his granddaughter feeling the close danger.
Dawn : Too late.
Mariabell : Wh-
In the blink of an eye, the young girl was grabbed by the throat...the single sight of a pair of pale blue eyes registered in her mind when she felt her chest being pierced.
Dawn : Unfortunately, killing you won't be that easy so I'll take a more radical method.
Looking down, at the moment he didn't use his sword to attack...no instead, it was his hand that pierced Mariabell's chest.
His finger tightly held one of the major organs of the human body...the heart.
Dawn : How unfortunate, if you dumb reincarnate would have stayed quiet, you would have lived longer.
Mariabell's pupils were shaking as her two hands weakly grabbed Dawn's arm.
Dawn : I'll send your grandpa with you in a few seconds so you won't be too lonely.
Mariabell : Y-you...(Why is my greed not working?!)
Smirking, his left arm tightly crushed her throat while he compressed her heart with the other...adding his ultimate skill in the chain.
He was making sure this girl would die here and now.
Granbell : Wait ! Please spare her !
Helpless in that situation, even a fallen hero like him still held love for his remaining family...
His shaky hand grabbing Dawn's arm at his turn, Granbell hoped that begging would help him out of this situation.
Dawn : ...
Granbell : We'll stop any activity and just live quietly so please !
The despair in his voice was real, at least enough for Dawn to turn his head slightly.
Dawn : You sure are noisy.
Granbell : W-wh...no...
By the time his pleas ended, his granddaughter's body already ceased any movement...her life force gone.
Dawn : By the way, I'm taking this unique skill : Greed, I'll be using it way better than this shitty brat.
The girl's blood splattered everywhere covering the two men...their clothes drenched, Granbell's body shook in anger as he was processing what just happened.
Dawn's cold and insulting words aggravated his condition...
Granbell : Y-you bastard...
His aura flaring around uncontrollably, his hand deformed itself into a fist as he jumped forward...pure rage in his gaze.
Dawn : Oh I see now...
Smirking, Dawn turned his body around and brought his arm forward...Mariabell's body was still in his clutch and he used her as a shield.
The sudden sight of his granddaughter managed to disturb Granbell a moment, his fist stopping an inch away from his relative's face.
Dawn : Your resolve is too weak too, Mariabell is already gone yet you hesitated.
Using this opening, Dawn drew his sword and slashed forward...cutting Mariabell's body in half during the process.
His aim was taking out Grandbell in one attack, the fallen hero distracted and just received fatal injuries across his body...
From his shoulder to his hips...no matter how good your regenerative ability was, Dawn's attacks were lethal due to his ultimate skill.
Dawn : Well, target eliminated, I should leave for Tempest now.
Standing in the now quiet room, right below him were the bloodied corpses of the two Rosso...taking a last glance while using Eyes of Fate.
They were truly gone, both granddaughter and grandfather...their fate has ended here.
Dawn : I also gained a new skill, Greed...not a bad harvest.
Nodding satisfied, he slowly turned his eyes away from the crime scene.
Dawn : Just now...i never acted this way, mercilessly...
It's true, he was ruthless and didn't leave a single chance to kill them...this wasn't really him.
Dawn : So you were this kind of person Origin Averion, interesting.
The feeling of not being himself, Dawn knew it way too well for his own good...but somehow, the way he acted just now was natural.
Dawn : Now I'm even more curious, what kind of person I was in my past life...I don't think I could be called a good person.
Chuckling to himself, he teleported away with [Destiny beyond Fate]...