Clown: Pierrot, where have you been? Theyâve been torturing me here!
Pierrot: Oh, here and there. Scouting for new jokes.
Clown: You got one?
Pierrot: Yeah. Two cannibals are eating dinner and one says, âI hate my mother-in-law.â The other replies, âWell, just eat your noodles, then.â
Clown: Haha. I knew it, you do exist!
Pierrot: Whoever said I didnât?
Clown: A staff-dude and Doctor Oda.
Pierrot: And what else did they tell you?
Clown: Something about having had a sister, Kanzaki Aiko, was it?
Pierrot: Your first friend?
Clown: Hmm? Oh, I did say thatâŚ
Pierrot: So couldnât she be your sister then?
Clown: ⌠I guess she wasâŚ
.
.
Birth of a Demon Lord Arc
073. The Freed One
Wouldnât Resurrection Festival work? My words decidedăTempest Resurrection Festivalăas its official name.
We are planning on celebrating it every year.
And now, two days have passed since it endedâŚ
There are a few problems that are giving me a headache. No, Iâm being serious this time.
After a knocking sound came from my door, Rigurdo and Bester came inside.
The 14 yet-living assailants.
We are currently in the middle of gathering information.
And, all our 'sourcesâ are meekly confessing all they know.
It seems that Farmas Kingdom and the like have begun to beg for mercy.
Even the well trained Blood Shadows and Churchâs messengers quickly give up and confess when a demon is presented to them
A demon can inspire fear into its enemies hearts and thus control the soul.
While there is a chance to resist a greater demon and inferior, an archdemon like Diablo doesnât take ânoâ for an answer.
As a result, one usually goes mad, so they decided to confess all they knew rather than meet such a fate.
By the way, even if they had committed suicide, we can just directly manipulate their soul or tamper with their brains.
That, too, is a well known ability of greater demons, so no one is foolish enough to kill themselves before one.
So if you want to disappear along with all of your secrets, youâd have to kill yourself by completely destroying your body.
I hadnât thought that capture meant a complete leak of information, but it is common sense in this world.
So it would be an understatement to say that the spies of this world risk their lives.
Well, as a result, we were quickly able to obtain information from them.
As for the headache I mentioned earlier, that would be: what do we do with them now?
My wrath has subsided when Shion and the rest resurrected.
As a result, I lost the desire to kill the shabby old man and the churchâs dogs.
Wait, that list does not include the fanatics. Those die no matter what.
I cannot forgive the perpetrators of that incident.
According to the information we obtained, they were not ordered to attack the inhabitants during their âvisitâ.
The orders came from Cardinal Nicholas.
It was simple: declare war.
But, as deploying the elite knights would require Hinataâs approval, they decided to send their Blood Shadows pets instead, which lead us to that tragedy.
Thirsting for blood and assured of their superiority, they rampaged without being ordered to.
Which I found out just as I was thinking of treating the as prisoners of war or by some other martial law.
Moreover, the general opinion among us was, as we are not humans, we should live by monster rules.
Anyways, we can kill them at any time.
So I decided to investigate what other countries do in such situations.
Ellen and Youmu didnât know much about the internal dealings of the countries, so it was pointless to ask them.
Thatâs when I remembered about Bester.
Thus, I went to ask his opinion.
Entering, Bester greeted me by saying,
ăIt has been a while, Rimuru-sama! What a calamity we have enduredă
A calamity it is. Itâs not over, after all.
ăThat it was. Thereâs something I want to ask, what are human wars like?ă
I tried asking Bester.
Iâm not good at haggling, nor is there a need to.
Thus, I heard about human wars from Bester.
First, members of Conference Coalition do not normally wage war.
For example, thereâs a rule that stipulates that a country has to declare the war at a general conference prior to beginning hostilities.
If this is not done, the country loses membership, and is recognized as a common enemy for all states.
Wars are easy to start, hard to stop. Iâm surprised to see that phrase has become a rule.
For now, letâs consider the situation where they did declare war at a conference.
First, they decide on a date for combat and use that time to evacuate civilians.
Next, they are not allowed to engage their opponent until the opportune date.
Information gathering and failure to abide by the above rules constitutes a violation of the Coalitionâs code.
As a result, the concept known as 'spyâ is generally considered to be currently absurd. Even if they do exist, they must always be on their guard to escape before the civilians are evacuated.
Any reported violations constitute transgression of the Coalitionâs code.
Well, considering such strict rules, they might as well say that spies are forbidden. Though what kind of spy chooses the profession expecting to be caught?
After the war has begun there are two kinds of wars: limited war and extermination war. (Well, thereâs also economic war, but letâs leave that one aside)
Limited War is one which seeks to alleviate the burden on the civilians and restrict the battle to a designated battlefield.
Itâs kind of like a sport, the extremest of the extremes, though.
Of course, to prevent the overwhelming advantage of the terrain, the defending side chooses the field of battle.
This is also chosen at the moment the war has been declared.
The latter, the War of Extermination, goes by the âanything goesâ rule.
It doesnât end until one state becomes the otherâs vassal or falls completely. Not something youâd want to choose unless you had no other choice.
In this case, whether you win or lose, you have to have a legitimate reason to invade.
If you donât, then itâs a simple war of conquest.
And, youâd incur the risk of being attacked by other coalition members as a result.
In other words, this type of war rarely, if ever, happens.
But wouldnât declaring neutrality be optimal for avoiding conflict? Of course not.
The Dwarf Kingdom, for example, has advanced technology and great value.
Thus, they had to build up a power to resist those who would try to conquer them.
Powerless justice is useless.
But in reality, it would be hard to explain to other countries why youâre declaring war on the neutral Dwarf Kingdom, and even more so, considering their military might.
Nobody wants to kill themselves by getting caught up in anotherâs greed.
Thus, after some wars resulted in the creation of the Conference, which brings us to the current state of things
Such are the rules set by the Conference Coalition.
Now, what about the non-members?
For example, the Eastern Empire.
Thatâs a military nation that increased in size by absorbing its weaker neighbors.
Coalitionâs Rules do not apply to this state.
It invades when it wants and tramples down anyone in its wake.
So it also makes full use of spies.
Death to those who disobey!
Thatâs the principle they live by, so if the target state does not swear allegiance within a week, they immediately invade.
Luckily, their sphere of influence fails to extend into the Jura Forest, so there have been victims among nearby states.
But, considering what has happened to states that battled with the Empire, the Conference Coalition cannot ignore this threat.
The Dwarf Kingdom was somehow able to establish diplomatic relations with the Empire and so avoided a potential invasion.
Well, their military strength and strength of that king certainly has something to do with it.
Having heard this information, I canât help but think of the Coalition as a bunch of weak states coming together for mutual protection.
Powerful countries decide war and fate by their own strength.
Of course, even if they donât violate the rules, itâs not like they wonât deviate from them.
I see; I understood all of this to a certain degree.
Now, as for when the war has endedâŚ
What happens to prisoners of war?
That, too, Bester had explained.
The Conference forbids the murder of messengers. That is true in any world, I guess.
Next, itâs rare for a countryâs king to become a prisoner of war.
Even wars of extermination rarely end up in complete annihilation. Unless youâre a fool, youâd surrender when the war has reached your own soil.
Refusing the surrender and slaughtering everybody would earn you animosity from other countries.
In the first place, a king that allows his own land to be invaded quickly loses the trust of his men and is disposed of.
In other words, since heâs been dishonored, thereâs no need to kill him. Thatâs how it is.
I see.
In that case, while I can just kill him off, sending him back might be a better idea.
ăThank you for your input. Iâm glad youâre here, Besteră
I said.
âNo, no, not at all!â Bright red, Bester replied with a beaming smile.
Sorry, honestly, thatâs damn creepy.
Iâm glad heâs gotten rid of that sharp personality and mellowed out⌠but he really is just an old man.
ăOh, before I forget. On my journey to the Dwarf Kingdom, how much can I report?ă
ăAh, as much as you want. They might have a useful opinionă
I gave my permission.
Even if we hide it, theyâd find out eventually. So we might as well be honest from the start.
I thanked the bashful Bester again and had him leave.
That guy, maybe heâs not bashful but just fascinated by meâŚ
I had taken my human form half way through the conversation.
And, Iâm not wearing the mask since itâs in the middle of repairs right now.
No way⌠is he a lolicon? A terrifying possibility filled my mind.
I pray thatâs not the case!
I think about our earlier conversation.
If thatâs how it is, letting the king and the messengers go is the best choice⌠maybe.
I still have the unique skillăHeartless Oneăas well.
Their hearts have been broken long ago so they can no longer betray me.
When I though that,
?Announcement. Unique SkillăHeartless Oneăhas been absorbed by ultimate skillăBeelzebubă
Therefore, it has been erased and is currently unusable?
O-ohâŚ
Just when I thought I have gotten a useful skill.
To only use it onceâfor what purpose did I acquire it? Well, I did think that I didnât need it, though.
So that aside.
I feel that the skills that I have gotten used to have greatly changed.
Thereâs a need to verify this. For some reason, I felt that urgent need.
Well, maybe we should release the king and the messenger, but thatâs something to discuss among all of us.
I left the 12 Blood Shadows to Shion.
After knocking some information out of them, sheâll probably have me eat another one of her meals.
Using theăCookăskill that she has recently obtained.
Doesnât she know that she doesnât have to feed me? Thats sickening⌠you know?
Having thus decided our next steps, I had Rigurdo schedule a meeting.
A conference of all department heads.
Thatâs what I decided to do.
That being so, thereâs one more problem to solve.
I look Rigurdo in the eyes,
ăHow is it? Investigation going fine?ă
I ask.
Not just my skills, but every single monsterâs abilities have greatly increased along with my evolution.
They were told by the âVoice of the Worldâ about the gifts they were to receive.
Those with a relation to me probably includes every monster I have named.
Rigurdo nodded,
ăWe are still in the middle of surveying the population.
The women have been saying some incomprehensible things like their skin getting smooth and pretty or something.
Their vitality has certainly increased.
Those specialized in combat have acquired individual skills and squad unity skills.
Interestingly enough, the Goblin Riders and the Star Wolves have acquired the rare extra skillăUnificationăă
Extra skillăUnificationămeans exactly what it sounds like, no hidden meaning here.
They became as if one being, able to move quickly on all fours and get a boost of strength.
Their strength puts them at about rank A-. Even the worst among them would dominate the B ranked.
Surprisingly, all one hundred have this skill.
Rigurdoâs report continues.
Among the 100 resurrectedâthe children have all evolved into adolescents.
Perhaps this evolution was inspired by their regret at being unable to fight.
They have all obtainedăPerfect Memory EXăandăEndless Regeneration EXăskills.
Though these are merely extra skills, they work well together.
That is, even if their heads get blown off, they can change into astral body state and thus avoid death.
In other words, they obtained regenerative abilities equal to that of Orc Disaster.
And thereâs a hundred of them. How absurd.
Thus, along with Shion, who got carried away obtaining this absurd ability, they have been calmly enduring intensive training.
I mean, we wonât die! The boys and girls of the city told meâŚ
I have no words.
Should I reprimand them or tell them to work hard?
Though they are only C+ ranked at most right now, I have a feeling that they will become our strongest squad yet.
They have even named their squad âYomigaeriââthose who have surpassed death.
The 4,100 hobgoblins under Benimaruâs command have evolved in an interesting way.
The strongest among them, 100 men, evolved into Ogres.
Just as the oni had wanted, probably; these ogres belong to the first village I had saved.
They are now Benimaruâs personal bodyguards, and have been named âKurenaiâ (Crimson). They possess rank A- strength.
And, as our vanguards withăFire ManipulationăandăThermal Resistance EXăskills, the rest of the hobgoblins are thus our fire squad.
Though they are still ranked C+, they are surprisingly powerful.
I had named them the Green Corps, but thatâs no good following the evolution.
That is, as Benimaruâs subordinates, the red suits themâŚ
The name âgreenâ doesnât, however. My failure to think ahead led to this.
But hey, no need to think that far!
Monster evolution is unpredictable.
So in defiance, I had the Green Corpsâ equipment dyed emerald.
In the first place, color has no effect on their ability to freely manipulate fire.
The high orcs evolved as a herd.
They all obtainedăIron Wall EXăskill that allows them to create a protective wall out of earth.
Moreover, they also obtainedăFull Body Armorădefense ability.
The inherited most of my resistances, noting that Physical Attack Resistance includesăPain, Corrosion, Paralysis, Electricityăresistances.
So, if I have them eat a lot of Shionâs cooking, would they acquire poison resistance? What foolish thing I thought!
Though there are individual differences, there are no problems as a whole.
They each can be evaluated as B ranked.
And this is when they have lived up to their âYellow Corpsâ name.
A squad specializing in creating walls to ward off attacks. They are Tempestâs main force.
As for Gabilâs 100 Dragonewts,
Of course, they are at least ranked A- each.
They acquiredăDragon Knight TransformationăandăFlame BreathăorăThunder Breathăabilities.
Though their efficiency dropped, their power greatly increased.
Honestly, I still donât really know whatăDragon Knight Transformationădoes. Though they obtained it, they canât seem to use it yet.
I have a bad feeling about it, so maybe thatâs a good thing.
âSo just use it when youâre in danger!â is pure negligence.
Such a phrase is almost sacrilegious to Gabil and his troops.
But to think that they have also acquired flying abilities and can now shoot their breath from the skyâŚ
Though they havenât obtained any new resistances, they did have high resistance to begin with.
With their scale armor being strong as steel.
Only a direct strike could penetrate their armor.
So being able to fly puts them at an overwhelming advantage over their enemies.
Their name, âHiryuâ (Flying Dragons).
Unfortunately, they currently might be our strongest unit.
And thus the report continued.
Seems like my efforts up till now truly paid off.
All I got from that was: our strength greatly increased. Just that.
Though we are not even ten thousand strong, we can easily crush larger armies.
Compared to the one I annihilated, we are overwhelmingly stronger.
You know, Iâm not even surprised anymore.
Our only weakness is our small numbers.
Since we canât easily increase our numbers, that will cause us problems from now on.
Thus we concluded surveying the populace.
Next up: managementâŚ
According to Rigurdo, they are not yet certain.
Well, thatâs just how it should be.
Even I am not yet completely aware of my abilities.
Rather than worrying about others, itâs best to worry about yourself first.
Requesting that Rigurdo continue the investigation, I left the place to verify my abilities.
I headed straight to the Cave of the Seal.
Meeting Gabil on the way, I ordered that no one intrude, and entered the cave.
Now then, letâs call forth ultimate skillăRaphaelă
I ordered that it teach me about the changes that occurred as the result of the evolution.
Hereâs what I found.
Status
Name: Rimuru Tempest
Species: Demon Slime
Blessing: Storm Crest
Title: âDemon Lordâ
Magic:ăMagic Energy Manipulation ArchiveăăGreat Spirit Summoningă
Mimic: Demon, Spirit, Black Wolf, Black Snake, Centipede, Giant Bat, Giant
Spider, Lizard, Goblin, Orc
Resistances: Physical Damage Nullification, Natural Attack Nullification, Status
Change Nullification
Spirit Attack Resistance, Holy Magic Resistance
That is all.
A bunch of things seemed to have disappeared, but since I am in the middle of receiving the skills that my allies acquired, I should be able to use many more.
I had thought that only the name changed for many of these, but I was clearly wrong.
Thought Acceleration, for example, has now increased to 1,000,000 times as fast.
I canât explain it in words very well⌠when I used it, time seemed to stop.
While intending to ask Raphael about each skill,
?Announcement. As ordered,ăInfinite Prisonăhas been analyzed.
Will you release Individual: Veldora? [YES]/[NO]?
What an announcement it so casually made!
It was so sudden, that I couldnât respondâŚ
But⌠finally!
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It has taken a year, but I can finally keep my promise.
All thatâs left is⌠procuring a spirit medium for him.
The thought of testing the skills has completely fled my mind.