It was confirmed that "Storm Dragon Veldora" had been resurrected.
The information was quickly relayed to the various countries under the influence of the Western Holy Church.
The kings of each country once again wracked their brains over the measures against "Storm Dragon Veldora."
...However, in some countries, they were wringing their hands for different reasons.
Inside the audience chamber of the royal palace of the Palmas Kingdom.
There, on the throne, something had been suddenly abandoned one morning.
It was a lump of meat.
A lump of meat with the king's face embedded in it.
It was alive. Though its gaze was vacant, it was clearly conscious.
A patrolling soldier noticed the groans and discovered it early in the morning.
The soldier was a high-ranking guard within the palace, but he could not stop screaming in terror at the sight of the object.
It was so grotesque that he might not have even realized it was his lord.
However, the eunuchs and ministers who rushed over at the sound of the soldier's screams recognized that it was their lord, now transformed.
And then...
"I, I must have a disease in my lower body... Feed it to me..."
The king's weak, almost inaudible words were understood.
They lifted the king's body with great effort. Juices formed threads, and the stench permeated the surroundings.
Some vomited in fear.
Others lost their strength.
It was a grotesque lump of meat, as if the intestines had been torn out and attached.
It was a terrifying object that stirred primal fear in people.
Despite the horror, they continued their work with the strength of will.
The remaining magicians in the palace had already confirmed that this lump of meat was indeed the king himself.
No matter what form he took, if it was the king, they had to show respect.
Following the king's words, they lifted his body and found a vial as described.
But, was it right to feed him this?
Out of unease, they consulted a magician.
The result was...
A Full Recovery Potion.
A legendary recovery potion, said to cure even the loss of body parts, second only to the elixir.
Its manufacturing method was lost, and even the dwarves could not reproduce it.
The magicians, though tempted to study the potion, did not voice their thoughts.
Of course, they understood that there was no other means to save the king except to use this potion.
The change was dramatic.
As soon as the king drank the potion, his body transformed back to its original healthy state.
A flustered eunuch brought clothing.
After putting it on and taking a deep breath, the king announced his intention to hold an emergency court meeting.
The place became bustling as preparations for the meeting began.
Looking around at the remaining ministers, the king said,
"Let's move to a different place... I will tell you what happened. Before the meeting starts, I want to hear your opinions."
He said this weakly.
Upon hearing the king's story, the ministers fell silent.
The content was simply too unbelievable.
"O, Oh King... Let me ask again. Did everyone really die?"
"Was it not a partial defeat, or did some survive and flee... Did they really all die?"
"Weren't the supply units stationed in the rear? Are they safe?"
The king shook his head weakly.
The group was forced to accept that everyone had indeed died.
One of the ministers collapsed and wept on the spot.
He had sent his son to the front lines as a volunteer and had arranged for him to be stationed in the rear to avoid danger.
But all his efforts were in vain.
Initially, he had thought this battle would be a massacre, and thus he had allowed his son to volunteer...
Looking at him with a detached gaze, the king recalled the scene.
But such a tragic event was just one of many.
This time, 15,000 soldiers had died.
An unprecedented and massive number.
"O, Oh King... Is it really true? The opponent was just one monster, wasn't it?"
A relatively calm minister asked the king.
The king nodded at the question,
"It's true. And the only survivor is me."
Once again, he was forced to confront the reality he did not want to accept.
The torture that followed, the appearance of the monsters.
The fact that a new Demon King had been born.
The terrifying reality that this Palmas Kingdom had become an enemy of the Demon King.
The ministers fell silent.
According to the king's account, the Palmas Kingdom was undoubtedly heading towards ruin.
Therefore, it was necessary to set a policy before the court meeting and before the nobles gathered in three days.
The king then relayed the three options presented by the Demon King.
"Here is my proposal, King of Palmas.
You have three choices.
One is to abdicate. Take responsibility for the war and step down from the throne.
Of course, you must pay reparations, including part of the Palmas territory and 1,500 gold coins.
The second choice is to declare that you, as king, will submit to us, the Tempest.
In this case, the Palmas Kingdom will become a vassal state of Tempest.
There will be strong opposition from the nobles, and it will be difficult.
Your treatment will be decided after the decision to become a vassal state is made.
It's almost a complete surrender, but your life and the property of your people will be guaranteed.
It's the best offer, but I can't recommend it.
The third choice is to reorganize the nobles and continue the war against our country.
If you choose this, your life will end at that moment.
You might be freed from the suffering of this world, but the only thing you can protect is your pride.
The people will starve, and the war will continue for a long time.
Whichever you choose is up to you.
I'll send an envoy in a week.
Please think carefully and give your answer."
With a pitiful smile, like that of a beautiful girl, he spoke kindly.
The Demon King.
Just thinking about him sent a chill of fear through the depths of the king's soul.
There was no way he could ever again show his teeth to such a being.
More than his dignity, the king was terrified and had no intention of ever showing his teeth again.
The days when he was a lump of meat, eating his own limbs.
He had no desire to ever experience that terror again, and he listened to the ministers' words with this resolve.
"It's absurd! A gold coin is worth 100 gold pieces. You're asking us to pay 150,000 gold pieces!
There's no way we can pay such a sum to a monster. I will never accept it!"
"That's right. And the territory too!
The area near the barony is at risk, but we can't think of it as the monster's territory!"
"But, submitting is out of the question! There's no guarantee that the monster will keep its promise and not harm the country."
"Resolutely, we must fight to the end. For our pride, we will repel the monsters!"
King Edmaris knew this would be the trend.
The remaining ministers still couldn't see the reality.
They hadn't experienced the fear themselves, nor were they on the front lines fighting.
They were safe, planning to have others fight for them, and they had no intention of taking responsibility if they lost.
Until now, that had been acceptable.
The Palmas Kingdom was a great nation, and it had a high standing among the surrounding countries.
But this time, it couldn't be done. After all, the opponent was a Demon King who could destroy an army alone.
"...Do you understand? The opponent is a Demon King.
Not a metaphor or exaggeration, but a Demon King who can match and overwhelm an entire army.
If you talk about pride, are you the one who will fight? I have no pride left!
I absolutely refuse to experience that terror again...
I can't even go mad! If you want to fight, you do it, and don't stop!
If you can't trust the monster, what will you do?
Submit or fight.
Do you understand? I will not fight. I have already decided to abdicate.
It's done. I'm satisfied. I heard it from the Demon King...
'For the sake of the country, it's a mistake not to consider the other country's situation.
If we had changed our approach, we might have become good neighbors.'
He advised me. If we had followed the advice of Duke Mura or Baron Helm, this wouldn't have happened.
My greed was not for the people but for myself.
There is no second option, no second chance.
If I make a mistake in my next choice, the disaster will not only affect me but also the people.
My honor and pride are now irrelevant.
At least, I want to avoid a disaster that will affect the people!"
The ministers froze at the king's desperate cry.
The king, who had always been calculating and prioritized his own interests, had admitted his mistakes.
And, considering the overwhelming power of the enemy, they reached a hopeless conclusion.
Clearly, as the king said, there was no prospect of winning.
They realized they were trying to protect their own interests with empty excuses about pride.
The ministers knelt before the king. And...
"I am truly sorry. I will seek a better path for this country... for the people."
One minister spoke, and the others agreed, calming down.
King Edmaris also nodded slightly, and the discussion continued.
Before the nobles gathered, it was necessary to set a policy.
It was necessary to persuade the nobles. If it failed, the country would fall.
How could they achieve a better outcome? What would make the people happy?
The discussion between the king and the ministers continued, with no end in sight...
Three days later.
The nobles gathered, and the court meeting was held.
Unlike last time, the king and ministers had no trace of ease, and their expressions were serious.
The nobles also sensed the unusual atmosphere and had tense faces.
The king's words to the nobles brought chaos.
"This country has been defeated by the monster nation, Tempest.
Therefore, I will take responsibility and abdicate."
The initial shocking statement by the king caused the meeting to become chaotic.
The report of the army's defeat by the ministers.
The unbelievable fact that the only survivor was the king.
The criticism of the king's decision to accept the compensation demands.
It was a natural reaction.
The annual tax revenue of the Palmas Kingdom, a great nation with a population of 30 million, was 5 million gold pieces.
The compensation demand of 1,500 gold coins was equivalent to 150,000 gold pieces, or 3% of the annual tax revenue.
Moreover, the demand to cede territory.
The nobles were enraged and loudly questioned the king's responsibility.
They said the compensation should be paid by the royal family, and the cession of territory should be firmly rejected.
The nobles' stance was not entirely wrong.
But they had forgotten.
The opponent was a Demon King who could overwhelm an army.
Or perhaps, they didn't want to believe it...
Some turned pale when reminded, while others pretended to be serious.
As King Edmaris had feared, the nobles were unorganized, and the meeting turned into a major upheaval.
"O, Oh King! Even if you abdicate, you cannot escape responsibility!
Perhaps you only want to save yourself?"
"If I don't abdicate, it will provoke the Demon King's wrath. Is that good?
Also, if I don't abdicate and try to resolve the situation, will it be acceptable for the country to become a vassal state?"
"Y... Yes, but! Submitting without resistance to the monsters is unacceptable!"
Such conversations were repeated.
The ministers, watching the scene, recalled their initial reactions when the king first revealed the situation and blushed with shame.
King Edmaris was certainly greedy, but not to the point of being avaricious. He also had foresight.
This failure, when traced back, was due to his desire to protect the country's interests.
It was wrong to place all the blame on the king. It was not a matter that could be forgiven so easily.
The nobles were stubborn in protecting their own interests, and it was clear that they did not care about the Palmas Kingdom itself or the lives and property of its people.
In the end, the meeting ended in a deadlock.
As Rimuru (or rather, Raphael) had predicted, the Palmas Kingdom split into the royal faction and the noble faction.
In the end, the Palmas Kingdom fell.
It would be remembered as a country that fell to the Demon King's wrath.
Amidst this, a young man from the Needle-Maigen Barony rose up, becoming a new hero.
With support from the people, he fought to protect their property and against the greedy nobles.
Perceptive and thoughtful individuals joined his cause early on.
The young man's name was Yowm.
As the leader of the border guard, he was well-respected by the surrounding villages and had the charisma to quickly expand his influence.
Invincible.
The uncontrolled noble army was no match for his overwhelming power.
He received significant support from the surviving members of the royal family, including Duke Mura and Baron Helm.
Edgar, the son of King Edmaris, though still a boy, served as Yowm's advisor.
King Edmaris was executed immediately after abdicating.
But at the moment the guillotine blade fell, a boy's laughter echoed.
The head and torso floated in the air and flew into the sky.
The only evidence that it was not a collective hallucination was the bloodstain left behind, with no body.
This event was erased from the historical record and shrouded in darkness.
Later, it was rumored that a character named Marius, a close confidant of the hero Yowm, bore a striking resemblance to King Edmaris, but there was no one among the nobles who could verify this.
Within two years, Yowm had pacified the entire former territory of the Palmas Kingdom.
The rapid reunification was largely due to the support of the Dwarf Kingdom and the Brumund Kingdom.
But the most significant reason was the non-aggression declaration by one of the Eight Great Demon Lords, Demon King Rimuru.
While the reason was primarily that Rimuru supported Yowm's payment of reparations, the declaration of non-aggression provided great reassurance to those who feared the Demon King's retribution.
Thus, the hero-king Yowm, who had a close relationship with Demon King Rimuru, established a new country.
The name of the country was "Palmenas."
It meant a country born from threat.
Yowm was appointed as the first king, and his name was changed to Yowm = Palmenas.
Beside him were two maids and a middle-aged political advisor of unknown origin.
Supported by trusted comrades, Yowm began his path as a hero.