Rimuru POV
With the company of Rigurd and Beni, I was led to the infirmary where I see Shuna and Sakura tending to the wounded.
"Rimuru-sama! You've made it back. I'm so glad you're alright..." Shuna sighs in relief
"Same to you, Shuna-chan." I said, nodding to Sakura in thanks and gasped, looking at the occupants on the beds, "Gobta-chan... Grandpa Hakurou..."
"The assailants were apparently equipped with spatial skills, so even healing spells cannot affect the wounds directly." Shuna explains
"I see. So potions wouldn't work either, right?" I asked
"Yes..."
I carefully placed my hand on Grandpa Hakurou's wound.
Analyze it, Great Sage-san.
<Effects of spatial power confirmed. Will you devour the effect with <<Gluttony>>?>
Of course!
After successfully devouring the effect of the spatial power, I gave Full Potions to them. Thankfully, both healed up completely.
"H-Huh...? I'm... alive?" Gobta looks around, and sees Grandpa Hakurou, "Whoa! The geezer's alive too!"
Grandpa Hakurou slightly unsheathes his sword with a dark look in his eyes.
"Should I put you back to sleep?" He threatens as Gobta squeals in fear
I'm glad they are well enough to banter like they usually do!
I feel my frown returning when I didn't see her in this room either. Her absence is very obvious as she stands out the most amongst all of the people here. I had to steel myself for the worst possible scenario.
I have to prepare myself... I have to...
With a deep breath, I finally popped the question to Beni, "Where is she?"
...
Third Person POV
Without another word, Benimaru led them back to the plaza where the corpses were. As soon as he stops walking, Rimuru looked down at the blanket covering the corpse in front of them. Behind her, Gobta finds the dead Gobzo and runs up to his side, breaking out in a heart-shattering cry. Benimaru takes a breath, slowly lifting the blanket and there she was. A lifeless Shion, perfectly still and dead as if asleep.
"Shion was protecting a child targeted by the attackers. Weakened by the barrier, she couldn't move to her full ability..." Benimaru explained hesitantly
"And Gobzo tried to protect me... The attackers were laughing as they..." Shuna adds, trailing off, not daring to add another word to the silent Rimuru
Sakura looks at the ground beneath her feet, not daring to speak nor move as she waited for even a single word or movement from Rimuru. Then... the ringing of bells is heard. Combustion of an aura filled with deep sorrow and anger could be felt, releasing uncontrollable waves from Rimuru's small body. It was almost hard for them to keep their eyes open upon feeling an incredible and unfamiliar pressure from the aura. The bells continued to ring as Sakura forced her eyes open, enough to catch the faint outline of Rimuru's Herrscher form beginning to emerge.
"Not good...! If she lashes out here, this place will..." Sakura gritted her teeth and quickly opened her mouth, "Ely-... Rimuru-sama...!"
There was a soft gasp as the aura was quickly pulled back into her body. Not turning back to them, Rimuru makes a request in a shaky voice.
"I... I'm sorry... Please leave me be... for now..."
Without any other words spoken, they relented and started moving away from the place, but Shuna suddenly returned and embraced Rimuru from behind.
"Please reach out anytime and I will come to you at once..." Shuna whispers softly before finally leaving
When Rimuru is finally left with only silence around her, her knees gave out, as she presses her hands on her face to keep every emotion from pouring out all at once again.
<Notice. A very strong aura exerts pressure on a weakened monster.>
"Calm down... I have to calm down... The pressure I let out will hurt the weakened ones more if I don't calm down..."
She looked at her trembling hands, at the pink veins crawling up on them.
"Control them... I can't... If I lose control over this, then everyone else..."
With another trembling breath, the veins returned to her body and she finally sat on the ground, tears slightly flowing from her eyes. Requesting for a copy of the magic-suppressing mask, Great Sage produced one instantly and she quickly wore it, but then hear a crack form. Despite already pulling her aura back into her body, it still continued to leak due to her unstable emotions and was breaking the mask she wore. She felt numb as she faced Shion's corpse.
"... Where did I go wrong?"
<Notice. Cannot calculate.>
"What should I have done?"
<Notice. Cannot comprehend.>
"Was it wrong... to have gotten involved with humans?"
<Notice. Cannot calculate. Cannot comprehend. Cannot answer.>
She held Shion's cold hand in both of hers, lifting it up to her chest as she sobbed silently.
"It's all my fault... I should've known better... I let my love for humanity harm my family...! It's all my..."
...
Sakura POV
I sat down on the steps in front of the Central Office in thought after what happened back at the plaza.
It was my first time seeing Elysia becoming that emotional... Of course she would become like that... The bonds she created here had grown too close to her and the loss this time was too painful to bear...
From beside me, I hear someone sitting down, letting out a huff as he did so.
"Hey, Kalpas." I greeted, looking over to him
"Hey."
We sat in companionable silence, looking at the busy streets filled with activity as everyone tried to recover from what was lost.
"Shuna said that we will have to gather inside again after a brief break." I informed him
"I know. Her brother told me the same thing."
There was a beat of silence before I decided to speak again, "... You held yourself back."
Kalpas sighed heavily, "If I lash out, then I might accidentally harm everyone here. There would not be a town anymore if I did that. The children need a home."
"That's true. Thank you for that. I was worried that I would have to stop you myself, but truly... Thank you, Kalpas."
He shrugs a little uncaringly, "You weren't the first one to thank me. Benimaru thanked me for stopping him from hurting that beastman called Grucius and the human, Youm, any further."
I huffed a laugh, "Heh. To think our most hotheaded Flame-chaser would be the calmest in a calamity like this. It would be the end of the world if that's the case."
"Hah! I wouldn't change too much! If I do, then my 'madman' title will get taken!"
"There's the Kalpas I know."
Another beat of silence went by and I recounted what had happened to Elysia.
"All of that emotion she held back just burst out in one go. I knew she had gotten stronger, but that had been a pressure I have never felt from Elysia before... Had I let it go on any longer, this place and the people could have been wiped off the map. This incident will forever scar her, I'm sure." I sighed at the thought
"I saw that anger too. She looked like she was about to kill that Mjurran woman when she admitted to setting up one of the barriers. Heck, her Honkai energy even started leaking out from her hands too." Kalpas mumbles with a sigh, shaking his head, "I knew to never get her angry, but this..."
"Elysia..."
"That girl always loved everyone and everything indiscriminately, whether it be humans or monsters. She loved the 'Ego' in our world and thought she could do the same thing here. But the very humanity and 'Ego' that she loved stabbed her in the back and the proof is all shown here."
"The Flame-chasers are supposed to be protectors of humanity. But here..."
Kalpas shakes his head, "We are no longer protectors of anything, Sakura. This isn't our old world, and neither is it the Realm. This is the reality of this new world that we live in. We may still be Flame-chasers at heart, but our goals now may not align with the old times. Look at what we've become. Monsters. Majins. We're no longer 'human'. And if I were to say something about being 'human', we can't forget that that girl wasn't one in the first place even in our old world, even though that had been all she wanted to be."
I leaned back slightly, looking up at the barriers covering the town, "Yes, I know. Perhaps this was destiny, a path that was laid out for her from the very beginning, from the moment her soul was born. All we can do now is be her confidants, friends, and family."
"... Yeah."
"Still, that was way too much talk for someone like you, Kalpas. I am very shocked." I teased him, the tension easing a little
There was a short grumble before he spoke again, "... Fine, I'll shut up from now on."
"Oh, please, no. Continue like this as much as you want because this is a side of you that is worth seeing for once." I laughed a little
"Sakura!"
Footsteps approached us from behind and we turned to see Shuna, looking like she wanted to tell us something while I caught a short flash of hesitance in her eyes.
"We'll head inside now." I told her
She nods and we stood up to enter the meeting room with her as our short meeting began.
"The panic caused by the barrier is now calming down. I'm sure it's because of Rimuru-sama's return." Benimaru informs everyone around the table
"Yes, I did see some residents already beginning repair works." I added
"This is our future plan. Each district will have a number of evacuation centers where people will take shelter together." Rigurd reports
"Yes. Because by gathering many of us together, the local magicule content will increase. This probably can be of help to the children and weakened ones. But... This is merely a countermeasure to the weakening effect. As long as the barrier is still intact, our power will gradually continue to diminish. To be honest, I don't know what will happen after a few days." Shuna explains with a sigh, blanking herself to hide her tired expression
"Then keep resting, conserve energy! I don't care how, just do it! This is all for the survival of everyone!" Kalpas yells while I tried to calm him down
"Kalpas is right. We need all the strength we can conserve, so make sure to get plenty of rest. This is all for her as well. She would not like it if anything happens to us again once she returns to us." I suggested
"Of course, Sakura-san. Thank you as well, Kalpas-san."
"Hmph!"
The meeting was dismissed and everyone headed off to do whatever they can while waiting for Elysia to return to us.
No matter which path you choose, Elysia, we will follow it. So come back to us soon.
I noticed Shuna walking into the Central Kitchen before walking out with a tray of food in her hands. I shook my head slightly and walked over to her.
"Stop, Shuna. Let her be alone. You need to rest." I encouraged her
Shuna lets out a worried sigh, "I have to at least give her some kind of support..."
"Shuna..."
Besides, with her emotions this unstable, I worry about the Honkai energy affecting Shuna too... Hm?
"If you insist on going, then I shall accompany you. But you must return home after that, promise me."
She nodded in reply and I walked silently with her to the Central Plaza. Elysia was now sitting in front of Shion's corpse in silence as Shuna quietly sets the tray beside her and stands, giving her a short bow before leaving with me.
... As I suspected. Despite that small leakage of Honkai energy, Shuna remained unaffected. The others that were with me during that outburst also seemed perfectly fine. Could it be...?
...
Mobius POV
On the blackboard, Souka had drawn out what she had found with Souei while scouting for the ones that had put up the barrier from the outside. But then another troubling news reached us through her.
"Shion-dono is...?!" Vesta gasped
"Yes. That is what Souei-sama showed me when he received a message from Rimuru-sama. He... He asked me to leave him alone, so I did. At the same time, Rimuru-sama stopped responding to his calls after that." Souka relays
I feared this would happen. Elysia is badly hurt now.
"... I only know about Holy magic in knowledge level, but... I'm afraid that the purification barrier will naturally make the situation worse as time goes by..." Vesta explains, soon trailing off
"There must be a device of some sort supporting the barriers on those four points." I pointed out on the blackboard, "If we can figure them out and possibly eliminate them, maybe the barrier will go down."
"That may be so-"
Vesta and the other researchers' words were cut off as the Dragonewts suddenly started to stir up some trouble.
"Let's conquer them, Gabiru-sama!"
"We have to save our friends in the town!"
"That's right, if it's us, if it's Gabiru-sama, you can be the savior of Tempest!"
"Destroy the barrier!"
"""Gabiru! Gabiru!"""
Cheers roared in the cave for Gabiru to take action as my fist slowly clenches in annoyance.
"Brother, please don't start creating such a strange mood-"
"Listen! Everyone!" Gabiru suddenly yells and the place falls silent, "... Back then, I was overconfident about my own strength and fought recklessly first without first understanding the whole situation... The result of that being - I lost a lot of my friends. And not only you guys, but I also put our forest brethren who I was supposed to protect, in danger. Not anymore. I don't want to repeat the same mistake a second time. There must be a real reason why Rimuru-sama has not made a move yet. We must trust them. Both Rimuru-sama and our friends in the town. And, until that time, when our power will be needed... Save your strength for that time. That's all."
After that speech, Gabiru quietly leaves the cave and out to the forest while Souka follows behind him. I silently trailed them from the shadows.
"Brother. You did a great job." Souka praises
"... No, it's not."
Gabiru hits the tree beside him with his fist and I hear him crying as he continues.
"Like hell it was a great job! In the end, I was only able to order 'Just wait' in front of my suffering friends! That's not a great job at all...! ... I see. So this is the feeling that Father felt back then. What a... What a stupid failure. I can't believe I'm realizing this late."
As I listen to this, I felt a smile crawl up my lips as I made my way back to the cave.
Elysia, the 'Ego' you believed in will never disappear. Even a stupid lizard bears the 'Ego' you are so proud of. Hold your head high and give everyone the assurance they need. Come back to us once you are ready to face this challenge head-on.
...
Third Person POV
Sakura watches on the cliff of the training ground as Hakurou meditated. That was when she notices Gobta approaching with determination in his eyes, sitting beside Hakurou to meditate as well, surprising them both.
"Perhaps her influence is stronger than we thought." Sakura thinks with a smile, getting up from where she was to return to her residence, "Then I shall also make some preparations."
Near Benimaru and Shuna's residence, Kalpas passes by and notices Benimaru training with his sword.
"Even though I told him to rest..." He sighed exasperatedly, "Not like it's a bad thing. He's willing to better himself instead of moping around, at least."
...
Rimuru POV
It has been three days since then. I had asked Great Sage-san to search for any method of resurrection that it could find, but...
<Answer. No search results were returned. No magic involving the method of the resurrection of the deceased was found.>
"... I see."
I brushed Shion's hair away from her face, then looked up at the other corpses of the dead, recalling memories I shared with each of them.
No wonder it's so hard to let go. Sakura was right... I had become so deeply bonded with them, that they somehow became a part of my 'soul' too. It hurts, but... I have to let them rest now.
"<Gluttony>."
The corpses will become magicules if I don't do something, so at the very least, rest peacefully inside me...
"Rimuru-san!"
"... Eren-chan. Sorry, but could you give me some time? I need to give everyone a place to rest first." I said, not turning back to look at her or her friends
"Uh... Um, Rimuru-san... I know the chances are low. In fact, they might as well be non-existent... But there is a way. A fairy tale about bringing back the dead." Eren suddenly suggests
Fairy tale? It's just a story someone made up... right? Why would you bring that up? Stop it... You're giving me hope. Hope that there's something I can do for them. Ah. For them...? Really? Is it for them? No... It's for me. I don't want to lose them.
"It might seem made up to you, but it's a legend based on historical fact."
I could only let out an empty laugh as she said that.
How ironic... To think that the method to save my people is from a fairy tale again... How very... ironic...
"Rimuru-san?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just feel happy. Resurrecting the dead? It sounded like a dream. But if the possibility's greater than zero, that's enough. Tell me more, Eren-chan." I requested as I led them to my office, taking off my mask
Before that, I communicated with Souei to know more about his investigation through the <Sticky Steel Thread> I left around our wrists for communication beyond the barrier.
Is that you, Souei?
"You're alright. That's a relief." Souei communicates, sounding very relieved
I must have worried him after not communicating for three days.
Sorry, quite a bit has happened, and I didn't have time to contact you. Did you find your target?
"Yes, ma'am. The Western Saints Church's Knights are in formation in every direction outside of the town. Each is about the size of a company. They're protecting what looks to be a magical device. It would seem that these devices are generating the barrier around the city."
Can you neutralize them?
"One of them, perhaps, with a sneak attack."
Okay, don't put yourself in danger. Just keep an eye out for any other traps.
"Yes, ma'am."
Once our communication finished, I sat down on the seat opposite Eren.
"Sorry for the wait, Eren-chan. Tell me more. What is this fairy tale about resurrecting the dead?" I asked
"Okay."
She suddenly put her hands over her ears and...
Are those elf ears? She's an elf...?
"This is a story that is told within the Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion. A story about a girl and a dragon... Only four dragons exist in this world. The first created a child on land with a human. This first dragon, who gave the majority of its power to this child, crystallized what remained of its strength and created a baby dragon, an incarnation of itself. Then it sent that baby dragon to its child, the Dragon Princess, as a present. The young Dragon Princess became fast friends with the baby. It seemed as though their peaceful life would continue forever until one day, tragedy struck. A great and flourishing magic-wielding nation sought to control the Dragon Princess and attacked her baby dragon. The princess wept and lamented until her sorrow turned to fury. The power she received from her father was fearsome and her rage did not abate, even after scorching the land to nothing. Only a Demon Lord and Fairy Queen could make her recover her sanity. But by then, there was no trace of the nation and their glory was a thing of the past. Though she hadn't meant to, her rage sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives. This bloodshed caused the Dragon Princess to awaken as a Demon Lord. But then, a miracle happened. With the princess's evolution to a Demon Lord, the baby dragon evolved as well despite being dead. The princess was delighted seeing it attempting to stand. But the miracle did not happen the way she hoped it would. It was a Chaos Dragon. The baby dragon lost its soul upon death, leaving the resurrected version an evil creation with no will of its own. The creature destroyed everything it saw without discrimination, just like the princess did when she lost her friend. As the people ran and screamed, the princess stood there, all alone. She understood that her friend was no longer with her. And so she sealed away her friend's remains with her own hands. That was the dragon princess's first great feat as a Demon Lord. The story ends there." Eren finished off
She destroyed a nation and evolved into a Demon Lord, causing the baby dragon she loved to come back to life. That Dragon Princess in the story must be Milim. Well... It's true that monsters evolve in mysterious, unexplained ways. Just giving them names was a big deal!
"But there's no point in trying if it only creates a mindless creature." I sighed in thought
"Yes. The big question is whether there's a soul or not." Eren added
The soul... It's not like I doubt its existence. I was reincarnated to this world, after all... I guess it's like one's conscious will.
<Affirmative. It is defined as the 'root that establishes one's self'. However, the 'soul' here refers to both the 'soul' and the 'astral body' that contains it.>
"So because the princess's baby dragon did not get its soul back, it had no will, and couldn't think." I repeated
"I believe so. This town is surrounded by barriers right now, isn't it? I'm wondering if maybe... Shion and the others are still here?" Eren suggested
<Report. The souls of those who have perished normally disperse and vanish, but trapped under two barriers, it is possible they still exist. The probability is 3.14%.>
3.14%?! ... Is it low? No. Just the opposite. There's a greater than three percent chance to resurrect the dead. If I can become a Demon Lord...
I can feel a grin crawling up my lips.
"Thank you for telling me this, Eren-chan. Was this a good idea, though? You realize you just told me to become a Demon Lord." I said
"Yeah... The truth is, my full name is Eryune Grimwald. My family line hails from Sarion Royalty." Eren explained
"Eh?! Really?!"
"I left the country with these two because we so admired the freedom of adventuring." Eren added
"You aren't royalty too, are you?" I asked the other two
""No, no way."" They immediately replied
"We're just her bodyguards. Letting our Lady journey on her own would simply be too dangerous." Kaval explained
"I don't know. I feel like following Kaval is the biggest source of danger of them all..." Eren sighed
"Ugh! I can't help it! When you see a nest of monsters, don't you wanna give it a little poke to check it out?" Kaval exclaimed
"That's not 'checking it out', Kaval." Gido sighed
Hm... That's actually a relief. When they said 'bodyguards' I was imagining more of a businesslike relationship, but it's clear that the three of them are good friends, just like they appear.
"So, Rimuru-san... I'm guessing that if you become Demon Lord, my country will find out that I was involved. Because only a few people in Sarion itself know about that story. It'll only be a matter of time before I'm taken back home. But I'll stay here until then." Eren said
I nod, giving her a small smile, "Of course. Go ahead and see this through."
"Just call if anything happens." Eren said as they walked towards the door and closed it behind them
If her help causes the birth of a new Demon Lord, Eren-chan's going to be in a precarious situation. She knew that and gave me that information anyway. I'm not just going to sit back and let her get escorted away.
I walked back to where the bodies were laid out.
"A Demon Lord, huh..."
<Report. The individual Rimuru Tempest has already gained Demon Lord Seed.>
'Gained Demon Lord Seed'? What does that mean? When did that even happen?
<Answer. The presence or absence of a Demon Lord Seed indicates if the individual meets the basic requirements to awaken as a Demon Lord, such as magical energy amount, skills, and so on. You gained the Seed at the point you devoured Orc Disaster. If you fulfill the conditions, you can evolve into a True Demon Lord.>
Is that so?! What are the conditions?
<Based on the fairy tale, it would seem that the Seed requires nutrients to bud. The nutrient to sacrifice is human souls. Estimated number, over ten thousand...>
Human souls? Meaning that I have to kill over ten thousand humans?
<Yes. But as long as it occurs by the will of the individual Rimuru Tempest, the task can be delegated to others.>
"... I see."
... It's complicated when you think about it. Even after being reincarnated as a slime, the basis for most of my decision-making has always been the knowledge and common sense that I had as Elysia, the Herrscher of Human.
"Even though the common wisdom of monster kind is the survival of the fittest." I said wistfully, petting Ranga, who'd popped out of my shadow to accompany me
It wasn't just Shion-chan... All the people of this country followed my way of thinking and they were killed for it. So...
"I'm sorry, Shion-chan. You might not agree with my decision..." I talked to her corpse, steeling my determination, "... but I'm going to settle this one myself."
So that from now on, I won't allow myself any more indulgences. I've already decided. If there are those that would use my proud 'Ego' against me and hurt anyone precious to me, then they don't deserve this love. For that, I must... discard my past 'Ego' to pave way for a new one. One that will instead protect and love the 'Ego' weaved by new beginnings. And my evolution to a Demon Lord will be the very first step to the new beginning I will have with my people.
I turned and started walking away.
"Rimuru-sama."
Souei? Did something happen?
"Yes, ma'am. I've received word from Treyni-dono. The combined forces of Falmuth and the Western Saints Church are invading our country. They roughly number around twenty thousand..."
"Twenty thousand... I see... Perfect."
"Perfect, my Lady...?" Souei communicated, confusion in his voice
I let out a short giggle, it sounded colder than I remember as I created and held a small pink crystal flower in my hand, twisting it around between my fingers, "Oh, I was just talking to myself. It's a relief to have just the right amount and then some more to come."
<Report. Analysis of two barriers surrounding the town is complete. The barrier <<Anti-Magic Area>> can be undone... But the other, the composite barrier, will be exceedingly difficult.>
Hm... Unfortunately, the weakness-causing composite barrier was the one I really wanted to get rid of. I guess I'll just have to deal with it.
<Shall I attempt to undo the magic barrier?>
No, not yet. With only two barriers, the souls of the dead might still disperse. More importantly...
The crystal flower I held in my hand floated up into the sky and erected the third barrier. I'm sure that would prevent any further dispersal.
<Report. Unclear wavelength reacting to the third barrier detected.>
Unclear wavelength?
<I suspect a coded electrical signal. Shall I decipher?>
Please do.
"Rimuru-sama!"
Rigurd and Beni started running up to me.
"This new barrier, my Lady..." Beni questions
"Don't worry. I'm the one who put it up. Gather up everyone, Rigurd." I ordered
"Y-Yes, my Lady!"
"We're holding a meeting. We'll be discussing our future reactions toward humans. And the resurrection of Shion-chan and the other residents." I explained to him
He had looked at me in slight shock at my words and sniffled before running off, "Yes, my Lady. I'll gather them at once!"
"He didn't seem as shocked as I thought he'd be. I wondered if he was going to be worried, thinking I'd gone insane."
"He had a feeling, I bet." Beni chuckles
"A feeling?"
"All of us had a sense that if anyone could solve this problem, it would be you." Beni answered, smiling
I returned his smile with my own, "... I see. Well then... the first thing is to ask her how this came about and decide her fate."