Chance to Speak
I called Gerudo over to help with putting things back in order.
And though Gerudo was quite upset at having no opportunity to fight this time around, he happily accepted my request.
The demon steel reinforced tunnels we had built proved unnecessary, so I’ll have them fill those in as well. Since demon steel is very useful, we can’t just leave it lying around, now can we.
Thad I had forgotten about a very serious matter.
「Crap… I forgot about Veldora…」
The moment I thus muttered, the surrounding Department Heads all froze.
The knights looked at us with a face full of suspicion, but we have no time to alleviate their worries.
Whenever I tried making eye contact with any department head, they would turn away.
Well… it is really hard to come up to a guy who was raring to go and tell him「Just kidding, we’re done already, all good!」
Not that there’s another choice here.
「It can’t be helped, I’ll go and explain. The rest of you return and rest up.
Those with ruined equipment will probably need no clothing too…」
The knights looked at me as if they could not understand what I was saying.
And they probably can’t imagine monsters taking baths.
We have great reviews, so rest up.
To advertise our country, let’s give them some of our newly developed hemp jackets.
Seems like with effort we can eventually restore their armor, but that’s impossible right now. Not that it will stay like that for long.
It’s just a feeling, but she probably had some grand battle with the knights.
I decided to leave the knights with Hakurou and had Souei deliver a message to Rigurdo.
Now it feels like we’re preparing for a banquet… well, I guess it’s fine. I mean, we’re always at it anyways, and we recently expanded our fields as well.
I think it’s a custom basically wherever you go.
Thinking these things, I ventured off to Veldora.
Afterwards, out of rage, Veldora destroyed the tunnel in an explosion and flew into the sky.
He’s been releasing his aura the whole time in dragon form, so his anger seemed to have abated slightly.
Basically, this old geezer (not that he is actually) just wants to rampage. He’s only dangerous if he doesn’t get to unwind once in a while.
For us, though, this was all a story we could laugh about.
I mean, imagine being completely drained, and then having a nightmare-like being descend upon you.
「Geeeeh!! Veldora!!」
And,
「Abababababa!!」
They screamed.
I would have loved if you could see it, but I guess I also felt sorry for them.
Hmph, I wonder if Raphael had also planned this?.. Nah, I guess not.
I mean, the fight with Hinata had gone completely according to plan, so this was just a thought I had.
So with this and that, I guess we can close this confrontation story by saying that it was our complete victory.
When I returned to the city, the knights were already taking a bath.
Souei should have notified him a while ago, so there’s no need to rush, I think… it’s probably just his personality.
I bet that he’s been talking to merchants and adventurers learning about the human culture for a while now.
But who’d believe that he was a simple goblin until not too long ago?
The banquet hall.
It’s about the size of a gymnasium, and is dome shaped.
In worst case scenario, since this building can house so many people, it can be used for evacuation purposes.
The skeleton of it we had reinforced with steel, but we’re planning on changing that to demon steel eventually. If I think about it, just how privileged is our country?
Well done. As you’d see in an expensive restaurant, the food is inside a hand crafted bowl.
As a result, every house now uses such bowls made by children.
Their vividly colored, whether using medical herbs or some other dubious method, and appear truly grand.
The table they are carried on is also an example of intricate craftsmanship.
Looking at all of this, from the onsen to the tableware, my tastes are reflected in all their actions.
I can also enjoy food now. I’ve really been working hard, right?
Looks exactly right, and the taste is great. Made by Shuna. Not, I repeat, not by Shion.
This Tempura was slowly developed after showing Shuna my memories.
Even Ingrasia Kingdom, which had an abundant variety of food, did not have Japanese meals.
She really has worked hard.
And since we can easily transport it while preserving its freshness via spatial travel, we’ve gotten our hands on a great variety of ingredients.
I, personally, think that a country that has a poor variety of food is pointless.
Which is why, even by going to absurd lengths, we’ve developed many dishes.
I mean, I’ve seen rich people eat white bread in the royal capital. So, we’ve been able to reproduce that product easily.
I couldn’t imagine that this grass family did not exist, so I passionately set off to look for it.
But that’s only to be expected. I didn’t think this would be easy.
The thing is, my plan is actually really simple. I asked Raphael if there was a way to quickly fix it, and a simple answer was presented before me.
But how will that go? I can’t imagine the properties taking root permanently.
Shion would get a big head if I let her do it, so I did it myself.
Today is special. They don’t know the beauty of my country, so I plan to show it off to them.
The knights might not be that easy to sway, but I have a feeling that this will be pretty effective.
Tempura is widely popular, with Adventurers and merchants loving it.
The result was a pitch black rice, as if squid ink was mixed into it. It’s also unbelievably tasty.
We called it demon rice, and it has a surprisingly high nutritional value (for monsters).
And just the fact that it can hold that much magical energy makes it a rare good.
Thus we finished the preparations for the banquet and were awaiting the knights’ return from the baths.
…………
…
The knights got out of bath, dressed in either the yukata or the jacket and came to the banquet.
Well, that jacket is basically like a jersey–really comfortable to be in. It’s the best type of clothing to wear indoors.
The Goblinas leading them weren’t at all worried, and moved naturally. They are surprisingly good at this.
And, thanking the Goblinas, Hinata seemed to have made up her mind as she looked at me.
「This incident… I bear sole responsibility for the trouble we have caused you, and wish to apologize.
I do not believe I can be forgiven for this, but please treat my subordinates leniently…」
She said, bowing before me and lowering her head.
I could see. Two gentle slopes within her yukata.
But, nothing I can do about that. Men are creatures who can never forget the heat of an “adventure”!
But, yukata, huh. Amazing, I must say. It has terrifying potential.
Compounded with the fact that this woman is a beauty… the combined effects are truly terrifying.
Everything is forgiven, so I say.
But then,
「Rimuru-sama, whence would you be looking?」
Shuna asked with a smile on her face.
Why… how did she know?!
「No no, I’m not looking at anything.
Do not apologize to me but to Shion and the Yomigaeri.
They are the victims」
I said, pointing at them.
Shion jumped in surprise. She hadn’t expected to be called.
And to her,
「I’m sorry.
That they will attack you when you least expect them, and that they cannot be trusted…
Please forgive me…」
Hinata said, bowing even deeper.
All together, they cried『We’re sorry!』
Shion started fidgeting, making a distressed face.
「Shion, forgive them. I understand your anger and pain.
Just so you know, humans are beings that surpass the errors they make.
So do consider them thoroughly. There are noble humans as well」
Shion’s discomfort intensified with my words.
But, I wouldn’t want her to think that all humans are like that.
And then with a resolved face,
「Okay! Whether a person is good or evil, I’ll decide after seeing their soul!」
She said, and faced me with a cheerful smile.
The Yomigaeri also forgave them.
Let bygones be bygones.
If you meet people who listen to what you say, you can almost always learn to understand their point.
And thus, one problem was solved.
Now then, it’s not a good idea to stay gloomy.
Besides, the agitated Veldora just might get even more agitated.
He doesn’t need to eat just like me, but has been stricken by the beauty of cooking.
And thus we began the banquet.
Of course, we have it. It’s our country’s special alcohol.
Ingracia Kingdom specializes in wine.
Or maybe the fact that it’s lukewarm makes it unpleasant.
Don’t underestimate my passion for food even for a second.
I guess this is proof that I have become a demon lord, huh?.. Wasn’t it like this before?
Thus the alcohol diversity of our country has also increased.
Along with potato and barley shochu.
Even if I say let’s have a dinner, it’ll just become another banquet. No question about it.
It’s just that obvious.
We don’t yet have soy sauce, but we have made a similar spice.
Oh, and then a knight who got interested in trying the black rice put some in his mouth and screamed,
「T-this! Recovers magical energy?!」
Hmm? That wasn’t a shriek I was expecting.
Actually, they were essentially exhausted a second ago, so maybe that’s why.
It can’t be helped, let them have it.
Well, the appearance of it is bad but the taste is good. Those without extreme prejudice just might eat it without a complaint.
Moreover, I’m just happy to see templars and monsters enjoying a meal together.
Maybe alcohol had a role to play here, but if such a scene can become the norm, maybe we can truly befriend each other one day.
Such is my goal, for which I ardently struggle.
So I decided yet again.
………
…
We got drunk and everyone was pretty merry.
Arnaud, a person said to be the next most powerful after Hinata, said
「By the way, Rimuru-san. Who’s the strongest in this country?」
A truly ridiculous thing.
But the monsters, all immediately rose.
Chances are, there’s secret hierarchy battles going on behind my back, or maybe they decided that a strength-based ranking was a taboo.
At the time, even though I don’t get drunk, I think I was drunk.
Cause Veldora and I suddenly began to add oil to the fire.
「Kuahahaha! Shouldn’t that question be solved with a battle?」
「Hmm? You planning to argue about it? How about having a tournament?」
We said…
I just said the first thing that popped into my head.
Though the atmosphere was light until then, things suddenly got serious.
「Kufufufu, what a wonderful idea!」
Diablo decided to join in,
「Isn’t it fine? I’m personally not against it」
And then Benimaru. And following him,
「I guess I’ll go all out」
「I-I will also participate!」
「Sounds good. I’ll cut everyone down!」
「I as well, rather than constantly leading my men, want to test out my powers!」
In short, everyone wanted to participate.
Veldora’s also having fun, and frankly, I don’t even care anymore.
Thus, the Tempest Tournament has been decided.