u An Unexpected Guest
I looked at the katana and was fascinated by it.
It wasn’t an unusual Tachi. It was neither too small nor too big.
It wasn’t big to be called an Ōdachi, it was just an ordinary sword.
It was curvier than an Uchigatana[1], and gave out an elegant feeling.
It was Kurobee’s greatest masterpiece.
It could even be called a Divine Katana, an excellent item befitting of the cla.s.sification of Myth cla.s.s (G.o.ds).
It was the best katana forged with only transcendental myth cla.s.s raw materials. Despite being just born――just having been made, its performance was wonderful.
Because its compatibility with me was also fantastically good, it seemed possible for me to wield its full power immediately.
Its transcendental property didn’t mean it couldn’t evolve. It had the ability to repair itself even if it deteriorated or was damaged.
Even if it was in a pure state, without an attribute, it was a legend cla.s.s item. The lack of an attribute wasn’t a problem either since I could grant it one. Essentially, it could be said that I had obtained a weapon of Myth cla.s.s (G.o.ds).
「Ah, as expected, the katana is cool――」
I muttered while gazing at its beautiful blade pattern[2].
I had a feeling of wanting to admire its workmans.h.i.+p here forever.
At that moment, I heard knocking at the door.
Ihad been relaxing and idling around in the office, but it seemed to be a guest.
I returned to my human form,
「Come in」
I called out.
The door opened and Shuna entered.
Bowing at me, she....
「Rimuru-sama, it’s a guest. He introduced himself as Dino, is he Rimuru-sama’s acquaintance?」
「Dino? Ah, he is one of the Demon Lords. I wonder what he came here for?」
「Demon Lord? Should I call brother and gather the soldiers?」
「No, no need. Just in case the situation turns into a combat, only send in Benimaru and s.h.i.+on, please.
Well, the concern is unneeded. Probably. I think he just came to play」
I said and left my seat.
I thought there was no need to worry. I felt that Dino had previously mentioned that he wanted to come to play or something.
「Acknowledged. Then, this way」
When Shuna nods, she guided me to the guest room.
It was a problem that there were a lot of rooms. We used them properly according to the other party.
A luxurious room was for merchants and n.o.bles.
A simple and firm room was for strong monsters and suspicious people.
This was because there would be a great loss in damages if they acted violently in the luxurious room.
When I entered the room after Shuna, I saw Dino’s disheveled appearance.
He was relaxing on the sofa.
「Yo, long time no see. How have you been?」
He noticed me and greeted me while lying sprawled.
Shuna was angered by that response and send out a glance, but she bowed without saying anything and left the room.
Most likely she left to prepare the tea.
「Ah, I’m doing great. Well.... I can’t be carefree though, since there are some problems.」
I replied while sitting on a chair across from him.
I took in Dino’s appearance. He hadn’t changed since the last time I met him, he still had that carefree atmosphere.
「What, is there a problem? It seems to be troublesome」
「Well. It didn’t go easily. So, for what reason you did come here?」
「Eh? It’s just like I said, I just came to play」
Shuna entered the room after she had prepared tea and cake.
In the room wrapped in silence Shuna set up the table as if nothing was wrong. When she was done, she bowed and left the room.
She was a professional.
I sipped the tea once and paid more attention to Dino.
Did he notice it...
「No, actually, I was driven out of Dagruel’s place.
So, when I considering what I should do, I remembered about this place (Tempest), where his sons were being taken care of.
Because of that, I want you to take care of me too!」
「No, it’s no good」
「――eh?」
「Eh?」
Silence once again descended in the room.
No matter how you put it, we were acquaintance, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to support such suspicious looking guy like him.
I’m certain that this guy was the type that would say such things like「I don’t want work-degozaru!」[3].
「Ple-please wait a moment. Then what? “Go fall dead on the street![4]” like that?」
「No, go to work」
「Don’t say something so unreasonable! I hold the aesthetics of not working.
For the last several 100 years, I have never earned any money by myself, so I also don’t have any money for food and drink!」
「Oh really...How amazing. Go home after you eat that」
Ignoring Dino’s words, I reached out the cake with my hand.
The snack[5] served with the tea was a Cream Puff[6].
Delicious. Isn’t it impossible to get bored of this?
Dino also picked up the Cream Puff and ate it.
「I know. Please make me a citizen of this country as well.
There won’t be any regrets if I can eat such delicious things like this every day.
Rimuru, no Rimuru-sama. Please, order, me anything!」
He began to spout such nonsensical things.
I don’t have any intention of employing you...
「Really, even if you say we are acquaintances, I only met you once.
What is your true purpose?」
I asked him seriously while finis.h.i.+ng the Cream Puff and drinking the tea.
Dino shrugged his shoulders, his frolic atmosphere disappeared, and then he answered.
「Actually, Guy said[7] that it seemed like I could be well cared for in this country.
He didn’t tell me the reason, because he’s selfish.
If I disobey, it’ll become troublesome, and it’s true that I was driven out of Dagruel’s place.
Because it was also troublesome to think, that’s the reason I came here」
「Guy, that Redhead,[8] say so?」
「That’s right. That Redhead」
Hmmm.
His atmosphere appeared honest.
It might have seriously been what Guy said.
「Ah, I remember. I have a letter from Guy」
Saying so, Dino took out a letter and handed it to me.
The seal and the aura.
Certainly, I felt the aura of Guy Crimson.
The letter just contained a few words,『Please take care of Dino』.
「Wh?」
So, I nodded at Dino and pondered a bit.
It was troublesome, but it would be problematic if I antagonized Guy.
Until I settled the issue with the Empire and Yuuki, my hands were tied.
It didn’t seem like a big deal if it was just Dino alone. It would be good for me to receive him.
However, if he was only here to play, it might not be good to invite a person like that.
Then, I suddenly remembered something.
This fellow seemed to be no match against Ramiris.
Ramiris was currently researching and developing something using the facility I had prepared in a room inside her labyrinth.
I would occasionally show my face in the Joint Development room and conduct various exchanges of opinions. Nowadays, I had become an idol in the development room, and my popularity was high.
Ramiris wanted an a.s.sistant. Because every task was handled by Beretta, it seemed she was short on hands.........
Just at the right time. Let’s make Dino Ramiris’s a.s.sistant.
「Okay, I understand, but will you accept the job?」
「What did you say!?」
「Oh well, although I called it a job. I want you to become Ramiris’s a.s.sistant.
That fellow does it quite happily, if it’s possible I want to partic.i.p.ate too.
When I have time, I will help, but because I’m a bit busy right now...
Oh well, let’s not think so hard. Anyway, it’s good if you do.」
「Mm, mmm. I understand. What are the details?」
「N? Ah, it’s quite simple. I think you only need to follow Ramiris’s instructions.」
Oh well, I didn’t think an amateur could make it as a research and development a.s.sistant either.
Carrying things, and a.s.sisting in the collection of data. That might be the extent of his duties.
The remodeling plan for Beretta that I had considered about since before was complete, and I had remodeled it together with Ramiris. I had received a request from Ramiris after wards about the application of the facility, and Ihad prepared large quant.i.ties of Culture Capsule[9] and installed them.
What is a Culture Capsule? I used it when I was remodeling Beretta. It was a container of high-density gla.s.s which could culture[10] monsters and others inside it.
With the Magic Power Injection port installed to it, it was possible to adjust the concentration of the magic power injected to it. Inside the container was full of Magic Water――water from the vast water reserve I have inside my gluttony’s stomach that changed because of the concentration of magic power――The system filled the container with magic power when the concentration was low and kept it at a constant rate.
As usual our relations.h.i.+p was close, so it was pleasant.
By the way, last time I was asked to prepare 1.000 Culture Capsules and install them.
Even though she hadn’t answered when I asked why she needed such a large quant.i.ty, but she had said...
「Even I want to work you know! Please, because it will be surely useful!」
So, I wasn’t able to reject her when she asked me that with her watery eyes.
If I had anything to say, it was that I also wanted to be helpful to Ramiris.
Besides, well, Ramiris was an idiot, but her head was good. She seemed to be flawless in regards to Spirit Engineering, and she had been studying Sorcery Engineering the many times I had visited her.
Since she had lived for a long time she had learned the laws of physics. It was unexpected, but she had the qualification of a researcher.
Though I say that, such a knowledgeable Ramiris was helpful, I believe there is no need to think about it.
Besides, even though I was asked to make various things, it was fun to see how it would turn out.
I hadn’t visited her recently because I was busy. This was the perfect time.
I’m going to see her situation while guiding Dino.
When I crossed the door into Veldora’s room, I had finally arrived at Ramiris’ research facility.
Oh? Veldora can’t be seen. Where did he go?
「Hey, why is magic power so thick in here?」
「Ah, it’s because this is Veldora-san’s room.
He will fly into a rage if you touch things in his room as you please, so please don’t touch them without his permission.」
「Haa? Did Veldora lives in here!?
I didn’t think that you guys were simply acquaintances, but to live in such place...
That explains why the reaction disappear so suddenly」
「Ah, the reaction has disappeared…I think it’s because he learned how to control his magic power.
Previously that guy leaked out a tantrum of aura, and seemed to be discharging magic power as well.
Because that was very bad to have in the country we were planning and where people would live, he practiced to the point that he could control it」
「Haaa? That Veldora? The very Veldora who was wandering selfishly at his own convenience and called the ruler of the Great Jura Forest?
Or rather, I can’t even sensehis aura because he suppressed it!?」
「Eh? Ah, he’s not that selfish though, you can ask him to do almost anything, you know?
About the aura, while it’s great, it seems it’s because he splendidly does his best to practice.
Even so...If we’re talking about selfish people, then it will be MiIlim you know」
Because Milim wasn’t here I might have said what I really thought of her.
That Milim didn’t lower her head, even to Frey. She was a difficult being for anyone to deal with.
Anyhow, Dino seemed to have received a shock, and while I was revealing the troubling story we had received from Milim recently, we entered the laboratory.
He seemed to not to have heard half of the story, but I didn’t particularly care since it was merely a grumble.
Well, surveying the inside, Veldora was helping Ramiris.
As usual, Ramiris was pus.h.i.+ng someone around, huh? What a hardworking dragon.
Even though he complained, he eventually gave her a hand.
Veldora was unexpectedly soft on Ramiris. Was this a bad influence from her calling him s.h.i.+shou?
Even Bester, who was partic.i.p.ating in the joint research after he had entrusted the work related to the recovery medicine effect to his apprentices, was there.
Ramiris and Veldora seemed to be having fun with an evil smile, but Bester didn’t seem energetic. He was completely exhausted.
Is he all right? It worries me a bit.
「Chee—see. How you been? Any progress on the research?」
While greeted them lightly, I advanced into the room.
Bester stilled his hand that had been writing on a doc.u.ment, looked in our direction, and then stood up.
「Oh, it’s been a long time, Rimuru-sama」
「Ah, as usual. By the way, are you alright? You look like emaciated by something?」
「I’m alright, is what I want to say but...Right here, I have done research that’sbad for the heart......」
Nn? He looked like he was about to say something.
Veldora seemed to have noticed me, unsurprised, he approached me.
「Oh, long time no see. I’m also helping here.
Because Ramiris asked me, it can’t be helped after all.」
「That’s helpful. Since it seemed difficult enough that she had said she was short on hands.
In response to her request, I brought her an a.s.sistant today.
Though he might not have scholarly knowledge, I think he’ll be all right with physical labor.」
「Yahoo! Rimuru, I’m waiting!
I have s.h.i.+shou helping me and he helps me a lot.
And also, the research progressed considerably as well!」
「Ohh? That’s good to hear.
Ramiris, you might know him too?
Starting from today, Dino-san will be your a.s.sistant.
You can rely on him in various ways」
And then, I introduced Dino to Veldora and Bester.
Dino looked around curiously but he completed his introduction greetings.
「I’m called Dino. More or less, I’m one of the pillars (person) of the Demon Lord.
I don’t want to work, but I will be reluctantly helping you. Please take care of me」
How should I put it…you couldn’t feel any motivation from his greeting.
But that wasn’t a problem. He will be her a.s.sistant.
After the common greetings were over, I asked why Bester was here and about the details of research so far.
The reason why Bester was here was because he was abducted by Ramiris.
Locating Bester who was researching what I had requested in the joint research room, Ramiris seemed to have earnestly requested his help and brought him here because she was short on hands.
She wanted a person who would do the menial jobs such as filing in the doc.u.ments or collecting data. Veldora didn’t seem to help her with such tasks at all, so she conferred them to Bester.
「You’ve had a hard time, Bester」
I called out him, and a smile of defeat floated on his face,
「No, not at all, because this is work too」
He answered.
A while ago, Dino, a known Demon Lord, had worn an astonished expression as well, but his expression had immediately returned to calm.
He seems he had been surprised too much, and he might have mastered the art of an undisturbed heart.
Because he was capable, I thought I might want to mingle in the Joint Research lab, not to research but to play but...it seemed things were different than expected.
As for why he was worn out, it was because of the content of research.
Then he said,
「By all means, please let me keep researching! Ramiris-sama’s ideas[11] are fantastically interesting.
We gather data almost every day, it would be too regrettable to waste that time sleeping!」
He started to make a plea without hiding his excitement.
The cause of his worn out appearance was simply lack of sleep.
There was magic like Refresh (Physical Condition Recovery)[12], but it didn’t mean without any rest.
It seemed necessary to let him rest even if he had to be forced.
Dino came at the right time, entrusting the trivial tasks to Dino while Bester slept sounded good.
And so, I let Bester explain the details of the job to Dino. It would be good if they got along well.
Even though the other party was a Demon Lord, Bester didn’t hesitant and explained things skillfully.
I noticed his appearance a bit, but it seemed he was fine. I decided to entrust it to them in ease.
Well, the research results made me worry though――
I was led to the hall where the Culture Capsule was installed.
And then, I almost shouted when I saw the things that floating inside.
What the slime is this!![13] Or so, I screamed internally.
In front of me was a Bone Golem, made with Demon Steel, which could be said to be guarding this place somehow.
The bones were made with Demon Steel, so it was a composite structure, in the strictest sense of the word, it was a fake… That kind of bone golem was floating inside every culture capsule.
Instead of a heart in its central part, a “Spirit Sorcery Core” was pulsing. It was as big as a fist, however the core was of superior quality.
I couldn’t help but notice that the golem’s design concept was no different than Ramiris’s toy.
The Spell Mark was applied to the metal bone too, and the embodiment that had begun as a bone was enveloped in magic power. It was a process that could produce a monster, similar to artificial reproduction...
I see, that was why Bester said that it was regrettable to sleep.
Each joint was embedded with a Spirit Orb, but there seemed to be no spirit dwelling inside of it yet.
So it was an artificial production of the new variety of soldier, a fusion of monsters and spirits? This is interesting.
「This is interesting. Was this Ramiris’ idea?」
「Of course! How’s it!?」
Ramiris was boasting and puffing her chest.
Yeah, you can boast. This is amazing.
「Amazing. Is this everything?」
「I guess so. I’m sure it will succeed. But I worry, whether a Will would dwell in it or not.
However, in the worst case, if there’s no Will, I can linking them to Beretta and put them all under control!」
Wow, she had thought it through to that extend.
Unlike the usual stupid Ramiris, it was quite skillful.
I gazed at a Bone Golem in the Culture Capsule while antic.i.p.ating its power, but when it’s born, it will probably become monster placed in upper rankings among the High ranked Devils.
There are 1,000 bodies. Were they created to grow simultaneously?
「Just perfect. It seems they will be useful」
「Right, right![14]
The idea was born when I saw Beretta’s appearance, which you had created earlier.」
Ramiris stated joyfully while flying around me.
This seemed like it would become a great force more than expected.
「However, right now I’m at a stalemate.
Even if you insert the spirit, if the attribute is different, it’s repelled...
It doesn’t go smoothly. If it’s energy without attribute, it can’t invoke magic.
Beretta is a Saint and a Demon as well, though he was able to do it with direct energy, there’s no attribute...」
Magic power would be gathered in the “Spirit Sorcery Core”.
The energy of the magic power would then be converted into energy to invoke Spirit Magic.
But, if spirits with differing attributes dwelled around the Spirit Orb, the result was that the spirits repulsed each other and it would become non-attribute, making it so that magic couldn’t be invoked.
「And then, can you take it out as energy?」
「Yes, but, it only scatters in the air. There’s no meaning you know...」
Ramiris seemed to be disappointed.
So she meant, that there was no meaning if even though it possessed magic power, it couldn’t invoke magic.
N? Wait...
「Hey, how about you insert this?」
What I took out was the Core (Magic Orb) that Kurobee had handed over to me before.
Because this core was red, it was a Red Core (Fire Magic Orb).
Actually, the inside of this Core was a structure loaded with energy that gathered the surrounding magic power and changed it to an attributed magic power.
It was the reason a lot amount of magic power was gathered and the power increased when it was charged with the owner’s magic power.
I thought that if I inserted this in the appropriate slot, it might be possible to use every attribute without any problems.
「It might work!」
Ramiris’ face sparkled in response to my explanation.
She received the Core joyfully and said that she would asked Kurobee how to make them
I could also make them but I couldn’t explain its principle. Anyway, it could be said that I could only copy them.
It was correct to ask Kurobee about it.
Ramiris merrily restarted her work.
Although Veldora had said he was helping unwillingly, his face showed that he was having fun.
Bester and Dino seemed to have become friendly with each other too, let’s leave the next part to them.
However, everyone seemed to be doing various things in places I wasn’t aware of, and that made me a bit anxious.
I was also worried about Diablo who was still on his trip, and about the training s.h.i.+on was doing.
There seemed to be many applicants for the army too; it would be better if I organized it formally soon.
Since after I threatened the council, and all of the defenses had been entrusted to me, the adventurers and the merchants had gradually gathered to this place.
They stayed in the labyrinth city’s area and set up their residences there, but there seemed to be some people who wanted to enter the Tempest Army.
I will think about the reorganization of the military in order to include them as well.
I left the place while thinking about such things.
The things that still had to be done were plenty.
[1] To know the differences between the three of them see this pic:
[2] 刃紋 Hamon – Literally Blade Crest can also be translated as temper line, is a visual effect created on the blade by the hardening process.
For more details please go to this: Glossary of j.a.panese Swords
[3] A reference to Himura Kens.h.i.+n, from Rurouni Kens.h.i.+n. The way the sentence ends with degozaru. You can find this line (働きたくないでござる！Hataraki takunai degozaru!) In the first episode of Danna ga Nani wo Itteru ka Wakaranai Ken.
[4] Alt line: Go die in a field somewhere.
[5] お茶請け Ochauke – Something to eat with the tea/Tea’s companion/Tea cakes/Snacks that goes together with the tea.
[6] Trivia. Cream Puff is called shuukuriimu in j.a.panese (シュークリーム)
[7] Should I keep it as Guy or change it to Gai or Gui?
[8] Akage – Redhead or Red haired.
[9] 培養カプセル Baiyou Capsule – Culture/Nurture/Bio Capsule/Tank. Something like this, but more bigger and a bone golem inside it XD:
[10] Ikusei 育成 can mean rearing, training, nurture, cultivation, etc
[11] It can also mean her way of thinking.
[12] 体調回復 (リフレッシュ) Taichou Kaif.u.ku (Rifuresshu)
[13] Nanja koryaa!! なんじゃこりゃあ！！- Kansai-ben for なんだこれわ！！ In case you guys want to know.
[14] でしょ、でしょ！