Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (LN)

INTERLUDE

THE MIDNIGHT CONFERENCE

I entered the reception room with Benimaru, Shion, and Diablo. Mjllmile was already there, tension writ upon his face. Shuna was taking care of all of us, preparing some drinks once we arrived. His Majesty should be arriving soon, she saidand just as she did, the door opened and Gazel himself appeared.

Did you wait long?

No, we only just arrived, too.

With a few short greetings, we took our seats.

So let us begin with my conclusion. I placed a contact early this morning asking my men to assemble all our current surplus coinage. This resulted in just a little over fifteen hundred gold coins. I cannot collect more from these people, so consider that the most I can provide by tomorrow morning.

Compared to all the gold coins in circulation, this wasnt very muchbut as Gazel put it, that was the most they could provide without affecting the Dwarven Kingdoms own economy.

I had asked him the previous night for help making change out of our stellar gold coins, and he had agreed to help.

Thanks a lot. Thats actually more than I expected. Sorry to put you through that.

Mm. Ill have it sent tomorrow morning via Heavenly Transport, so youll have it by evening.

Fifteen hundred gold coins was a nontrivial amount of weight. I hated to put them through the trouble of delivering them, and with my Dominate Space skill, I could always just stop by Dwargon to grab them. Thatd be safer and surer, besides.

You know, I can just go pick them up for you. Im the one asking for them anyway.

Oh? Ah yes, you have Spatial Motion. That would reduce the chance of a mistake, yes. All right. I will contact them. That leaves the main question to discuss: Will this be enough to pay off your merchants?

Hmm, well

It was close, very close, but not enough.

This being the first year of the Founders Festival, we were sparing no expense to launch the event. This resulted in a need for more gold coins than expectedover 3,000 in all. In my mind, this converted to around 300 million yen. A staggering figure, given the scope of this worlds economy.

We had the money to cover this in our vault1,500 stellar gold coins. If you exchanged these, theyd break down to 150,000 regular gold coins. This was why I didnt hesitate to blow 2,000 or 3,000 on this festival. It wasnt that we lacked the funds; if we could break down the stellars into regular gold coins, payment was easy. But since we were dealing with newer, small-scale tradesmen for many of our services here, that just wasnt possible.

As a result, we needed regular gold coins in our vaultbut Tempest was not at the point where we could institute a currency-based financial system. There just wasnt much gold coinage floating around yet. Silver coins of all sorts were everywhere, but Dwarven gold coins? We had fewer than a hundred of those.

To this we could add my personal stash of 300, plus the 1,000-ish Mjllmile managed to put together. Around 1,400 in all. That, plus Gazels promised funds, didnt make it to 3,000.

Not enough?

Based on the accounting in my head, well want a few hundred more.

Thats the accounting you ran this festival on? Why, Im amazed you ever got it off the ground!

Yeah, I kinda made things up as we went along. We didnt have much time to set it up, so what could I do?

I dont even know how to begin lecturing you.

Gazel let out a long, theatrical sigh, his eyes despondent. I mean We were all really into it, you know Nobody said no to me Right? But if I told Gazel any of that, I knew he would explode. The king, without some drink in him, could be kind of scary at times. I was intelligent enough to avoid excessive talk when he was like this.

In that case, perhaps I could make up the difference?

Suddenly, someone interrupted our conversation. I looked over to see who it was, only to find Elmesia, Emperor of Thalion, with Archduke Erald in tow. She sat next to Gazel, who visibly winced when he saw herjust for a moment, but still enough to give you pause.

Carefully, I turned to Erald. Um, Duke Eraldand the Heavenly Emperor, too? What brings you both here?

Well, Sir Rimuru, whenI spoke about this with Her Excellency, she was kind enough to offer her support to you

Erald did all the talking, Elmesia just serenely smiling next to him. The archduke himself looked a bit pained as well, and I could pick up on why. She was making him say it himself, for reasons I better not pry into. Sleeping dogs and all that.

Oh, no, um, this is a problem we should handle ourselves

Is it? Were you not just wailing a moment ago that you lacked the money? I was only offering our support in light of the friendly relations our two countries will share going forward?

Her lips were smiling. Her eyes werent. My instincts whispered to me that this was trouble.

Um, no, as I was saying

Trusting in those instincts, I leaned toward turning down the offer. I did need someone to trade us some gold coins, but the idea of owing Elmesia a favor spooked me. We were short only a few hundred, and if it came to it, we could leave a merchant or two in the lurch for the time being. As long as we didnt lose face from it, and as long as nobody lost money in the end, I didnt think people would resent us too much.

Such were the calculations behind my decision, but:

Give it up. Once that woman speaks her mind, she wont relent until shes had her way. Trust me, you would rather make enemies with every merchant on the continent together than her alone. You are far better off accepting her offer.

Gazel spat out the words, looking just as pained about it as Erald. It was surprising from him, the Heroic King having so much trouble dealing with a fellow leader.

My, my, Gazzie. You are taking my side? How wonderful!

She smiled. It was so transparent. And given that Gazzie nickname, I began to understand what their relationship was like.

Would you mind not calling me that, please? What is it youre after here?

Oh, youre always so formal! Your grandfather was much more freewheeling than that, you know.

If he was, then my father must have led a trying life. Would you mind getting down to business?

I thought Gazel was pretty uninhibited himself, but for the most part, he played the role of a sober, duteous king. Maybe it was his youth, growing up with such a harried father, that inspired him. When his father ruled, that was Gazels last taste of true freedom, and it was then that he first met Erald and Elmesia. I imagine thats when he trained under Hakuro as well. The way Elmesia talked to him about that eraI could imagine Gazel picturing him like an annoying aunt showing up at every family event just to bug you. No wonder he found her to be trouble.

My, my, so hasty. Were you always so impatient like that, hmm?

He was doing a good job hiding itit didnt look that way at allbut I was sure Gazel was intensely irritated. He mightve fooled me, but Elmesia could see it bright as day. Reading someones subtle body language was a piece of cake for nobility. What I was witnessing was an intense, high-stakes game of witsand Gazel, something of a mentor to me, was like a deer in the headlights to Elmesia. Now I could see why he was wincing so much.

The emperor asked Shuna for a cup of wine. She was settled in her new seat now; there would be no shooing her away. Gazel and Erald exchanged glances and simultaneously sighed. Those two acted like they disliked each other, but they were in total sync here. In terms of Elmesia treating them both like children, they shared a lot in common.

With my lack of experience, I doubted I could ever out-negotiate Elmesia. Gazels advising me to give in made sense.

Oh, this is good!

Thank you.

Elmesia smiled broadly at the wine Shuna had poured for her. It was one of Shunas treasured varietals, a drink that seemed to change in taste with every sip. If the emperor didnt like this, itd be hard to find anything better for her. That was a relief.

Right, then, Gazel said, trying to shift the conversation. Our time is valuable. We cant afford to consume it with your caprices. All right?

Yes, Elmesia said, finally yielding to Gazels demands. In exchange for providing my support, I have one condition to ask. Whenever you organize a festival as grand as this, I want you to invite me. If you promise me an invitation for your events going forward, I would be happy to help with your monetary exchange. Because, goodness me, why would you ever stage such a wondrous event and not let me know about it?

Erald turned his eyes skyward, hand against his temple. Gazel looked like hed just swallowed a bug.

Id be glad to, I casually replied.

Elmesia smiled at me, elated. The difference in enthusiasm between us was palpable. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do. But if she liked this kind of excitement and wanted to be part of the action going forward, I couldnt ask for anything more.

Royalty arent the slaves of the people, you know, she said. If they can live freely, that makes their citizens happy as wellas it does me. I think it could help bring joy to everyone!

There is truth to that. I agree with you. Its reassuring to see people on my sideand I look forward to it staying that way.

We shook hands with a smile. Now she was part of the teama team consisting of me, Mjllmile, and her. Call us the Three Pranksters, I suppose. Gazel and Erald shivered a bit as they looked on, fearing the worst, but they didnt matter to us.

Elmesia promptly took out what I could only describe as her magic purse.

This is just my pocket money in here, so I only have around a thousand gold coins at the moment. If you need more, I can arrange for that, but?

No, that alone will be more than enough, I replied, not skipping a beat. Could we exchange those for ten stellar golds, then?

What was this emperor thinking? Just carrying around 1,000 gold like it was spare change under her sofa? She was living on another planet from the rest of us, as close to an A-list celebrity as you got in this world. Gazel was rightI did not want to cross her.

Thats quite fine. Dont forget our promise, all right?

Of course not!

I smiled and nodded at herand right there and then, we made the exchange. Now, if I could get that 1,500 gold exchanged over at the Dwarven Kingdom tomorrow morning, we had the money we needed. I sighed, relieved. The problem was behind us.

How nice, Sir Rimuru, Diablo said as he refilled my cup of tea. I watched him tend to Gazels and Elmesias cups as I savored the hot brew.

Benimaru intrepidly smiled. If someone thought that Sir Rimuru wouldnt be able to play by the rules, were about to prove them very wrong.

Yes. I was no longer going to be dunked on by someone. No need to kowtow to those tradesmen demanding their money. I had saved face pretty well, I thought; it was a heavy load off my shoulders. But then Elmesia started insinuating something else to me.

You know, though, I think someone would have offered their help even if you couldnt prepare the gold coins in time, hmm?

Oh? What do you mean?

I was being honest. I really didnt know.

If you want someone to do your bidding, its far easier to have them owe you a favor, rather than browbeating or scaring them into it. Its also successful quite a bit more often.

She smiled warmly at me. That was no doubt the smile of a ruler, and it elicited a swift response from Diablo.

I see. You think, for example, someone mightve swooped in at the last minute to mediate for us, uninvited?

That might be the case, yes. But if such an interloper did show up, whos to say that they werent being controlled behind the scenes by someone, hmm?

Keh-heh-heh-heh-heh An interesting thing to consider. Causing the problem, then alleviating it while creating an obligation for us. That does seem like a viable scheme. But

This interloper, perhaps, wouldve been willing to accept a signed contract allowing payment at a later date, even if you didnt have the gold coins. It would show world leaders that Tempest could not be trusted, while they could be. You would be quite obligated to them, yes.

How greedy. Truly, a very human approach. Ive learned a lot from this.

Um, so? Did this mean someone might be putting the merchants up to this just so they could make us owe a debt to them? And they might be doing someone elses bidding here? Theyd be more disposable that way? I see If we trusted in this person, theyd reap the benefits; if not, theyd abandon the whole strategy. And maybe they were just doing this to make us look badbut I felt like Elmesia might be right. I could see Diablo agreed, judging by the evil grin on his face.

It makes little sense to me, Benimaru said, but can you think of anyone whod want to do that? Is some member of the Council of the West trying to test us or what?

Elmesia smiled, not taking offense at his tone. Oh, I wouldnt know! Thalion isnt part of the Council. But maybe he would know something?

She was staring right at a pensive Mjllmile.

Um, me?!

Being fingered like this unnerved him, but he quickly regained his composure.

I have heard rumors, he furtively stated. Rumors of a kind of shadow committee that enjoys de facto control over the Council. Its composed of the ruling classes, the highest-level leaders from the Councils nationsbut I wouldnt believe it for a moment. The Council is composed of elected representatives from each country, but royaltys hereditary. They dont need to worry about losing their seat.

So Mjllmile was familiar with a few rumors going around the merchantsrumors about a cabal of rulers who held the most power among the Western Nations. It smacked of a conspiracy theory, though, and Mjllmile himself didnt lend it much credence.

Well, if someone should appear tomorrow and attempt to mediate with us on this matterI will give them a thorough examination and fully expose their backgrounds for you.

Soei was here, kneeling next to me. I never noticed himbut, hiding my surprise, I gave him a cool, composed nod.

My goodness. What a shock. I hardly even detected his presence.

This is why I told you, Your Excellency, the denizens of this domain are like nowhere else. Paying a personal visit is just too dangerous

Tee-hee-hee! But its offered such interesting experiences. May I ask you a question, Sir Rimuru?

Hmm? Whats she want to know now?

Yes?

I am considering enacting a new pact with you, but before I do, I wanted to hear your thoughts.

Elmesias demeanor changed. She was no longer hiding her real facethe face of a ruler, one shed shown me for a moment earlier. It was turned straight at me. I could feel an overpowering pressureHeroic Aura, at a level incomparable with Gazels.

Lets hear it.

I fought back with my own Heroic Aura. We exchanged staresor more like fired them at each other like cannonballs. I tried to take the full brunt of hers, not averting my eyes for a moment.

How do you plan to deal with that demon over there? That incredibly dangerous primal one

Primal? I didnt know what Elmesia meant, but was she talking about Diablo? Hes pretty strong, yeah, but not that dangerous, no

Um Nothing, really? I mean, Diablos doing a pretty good job for me, so whats the problem?

Let me rephrase the question. If that demon were to go out of control, how would you take responsibility for that?

Out of control? Ium, could picture that, actually. She mustve had perfect insight into what I was going through. No, there was no telling when Diablo might decide to go berserk. But did that apply to Diablo alone? It wasnt a topic I wanted to think about much, but I had another problem child in Shion, too. And while I appreciated Elmesias concern, I wasnt sure what she could do about it.

Well, Ill stop him before that happens. Thats all I can really do to prevent any fallout, isnt it?

If there was another way, Id love to hear it. But the only option was to prevent it before it took place. Diablo looked content enough at my response, which I didnt appreciate muchthis is about you, you know.

And I wasnt the only one perplexed here.

Huh? Um Wait a minute. Not to drop the act for a moment, but youd stop that demon? Youd step up to do that?

Yes. I know its maybe a likely scenario, but lately hes started listening to what Ive told him more. I think hes much more mature than previously.

I felt confident about that. If they kept it up, Diablo and Shion wouldnt cause any problems at all, I didnt think. I didnt like how Shion was listening to this like it wasnt about her, but Ahhh, itd be all right.

Hearing my response, Elmesia started giggling like a young girl. Oh my. Did you hear that, Erald? This demon lords an even bigger piece of work than how you described him!

Archduke Erald found a way to scowl even more than he already was. I pitied him. Speaking of overly freewheeling rulers

It is fine, Lady Elmesia. If that is what Rimuru says, then Ill support it. And should push come to shove, trust me, Gazel Dwargo will come to Rimurus aid.

Gazel stepped up to support me. It seemed like the first time in a little while.

Elmesia gave us a contented look. All right. I understand your position. If you should ever become an enemy to mankind, I will exercise all my force to stop you. So instead, let us continue to deepen our bonds and maintain our current friendly relations. Erald?

Y-yes!

I, as representative of the Sorcerous Dynasty of Thalion, hereby officially acknowledge the Jura-Tempest Federation as close friends with our nation. Please handle the paperwork for me.

Y-yes, Your Excellency!!

Thats an emperor for you. All that dignity, all that authority, as she ordered Erald around like an errand boy. I could stand to learn from that.

Elmesia turned to me. Right. Should anything come up, feel free to confer with me or Gazzie. And please dont let yourself go out of control, am I clear?

This wasnt making sense. We were talking about Diablo or Shion, I thought, and now she was referring to me? Since when? And me, going out of control? Man, that was just rude.

Hey, um, you know, Im a pretty prudent person. Whyre you talking like I could go crazy someday?

Rimuru, who was the leader who decided to hold a Founders Festival on a passing whim?

Gazels gaze burned into me. Id have to say it was me, I suppose.

Um, Mollie, right?

No it wasnt, Sir Rimuru!

Mjllmile didnt want to play along.

All right, all right. Yes. I promise Ill talk things over with you guys in advance next time, okay?

Very good. I hope you will.

This isnt the kind of advice Id normally give to the king of another nationbut this time, we are. Dont think badly of us for it.

Griping about this too much, Gazel said, would be meddling with our internal affairsbut since a lot of my ideas often ran counter to commonly accepted norms around here, they wanted me to keep them in the loop a little more. It wasnt any judgment on how good, or bad, those ideas werethey just needed more warning.

And this wasnt a bad thing for me, either. In fact, itd be good fortune for all the countries involved, given that wed need to prepare for the angels attempting to destroy civilization sooner or later.

So we had gone from solving my gold-coin problem to the leaders of two nations lecturing me at the same time, but I didnt mind. The tough stuff was over.

I had a promise from Elmesia that wed work to build good relations. What started as an informal chat turned into a great diplomatic coup for me. I figured things couldnt get any better, so I was about to end the night when Elmesia brought up another topic. She was staring straight at me, her expression a tad desperate.

Um, was there something else? I nervously asked.

No, no, nothing major. Its just, um, I have a request I want you to introduce me to Mr. Yoshida!

Y-Your Excellency, what nonsense is this?! How shameless! Sneaking that into these high-level talks!

I was expecting some other weighty political issuebut this? Erald was freaking out, but no, this was nothing major. Yoshida was cooking for us all through this festival on the invite of Shuna, but I hadnt heard anything about his future plans. Id certainly like him to stick around, but that would be up to him. Connecting him to Elmesia, in itself, wasnt a big deal.

Oh, that would be simple. But dont force him into anything, all right?

Of course I wont!

That seemed to please Elmesia well enough, so we would introduce them to each other after the festival.

And so our impromptu three-way summit among some of the biggest superpowers in the world came to a quiet close.