Mithra's POV:
It took 3 days for me to recover enough power before going back to the surface, and I won't squat in a room in Noir's castle anymore. Since he said he would observe Rimuru's actions, he barely got out of his lab, and I'm sure I heard him moan like a female in heat once when Rimuru trained with his soul magic.
I know it's unique and appealing for an ancient Demon but I don't want to hear someone like HIM doing weird things while keeping an eye on that blob. Especially him, too much of a weirdo. But I'll keep it for myself for now, it could be a great teasing material when those four will be summoned. Thankfully Lycaon was in my shadow, I had some company in this unnerving wait.
When I returned, I was greeted by the little blob, who stopped using his chibi human form. Forcefully converting his slime cells into human ones and maintaining the process isn't cost efficient, and he finds his default form good enough for now. And it appears the little one... no, Kumara starts to get out more, little by little. We still are awkward with each other, but nothing like before.
It was tense when she saw Lycaon and Ranga after their unfortunate first encounter, but Rimuru did a good job appeasing her. When the two Wolves heartily apologize, she mumbled something about it was her fault for not paying attention and the survival of the fittest, so I hope it will go better soon between them.
After a few days, all the messages were distributed. Almost all tribes accepted on the spot to meet with us, thanks to the Dryads blessing on the wolves. Only the troublesome Mezu and Gozu wanted proof of my involvement, which I gave immediately by paying them a visit and threat- ask them to behave well in this meeting.
The Ogres were suspicious at first, but accepted as soon as Treyni visited them, even this prideful bunch gave weight to the words of the forest caretakers.
We used the remaining time to visit the forest with Kumara. She has great difficulty to smile, but I saw her eyes shining a little when we stumbled upon a grove full of multicolour glowing mushrooms at night, with fireflies and small animals completing this beautiful scenery. It will be long, but one day her heart will completely heal.
*A few days later*
This is finally the day of the meeting with all the representatives of the forest tribes. From Goblins to Lizardmens and Elves, they are all here. The Dryads are with us, and Kumara is in her fox form hiding herself behind Rimuru. She wanted to come with us to see what would happen, but didn't trust anyone apart from us five.
The representatives look impressed, seeing a Dryad is normally a rare occurrence and the 3 of them are present, plus a special entity known as the Demon of Honor, whom they respect greatly for the things she did in the forest, and I don't over-congratulate myself.
They also keep looking at Rimuru, he reduced the amount of aura he exude for the sake of weaker races, and they find it hard to believe he's supposed to be my equal as one of the new guardians of Jura Forest. They will understand why soon.
-"We thank you all for coming to this assembly regarding the future of our forest," said Treyni as an opening with her usual smile. "I know you have many questions and worries about our lord Veldora's disappearance 2 weeks ago, but I will let our new guardians explain what happened and their plans for our future. Lady Mithra."
-"Thanks Treyni. I'll be quick, so... you need something young Ogre?"
-"I'm sorry for interrupting you but I'm doubtful about this slime. The message we received told about him but I can't accept something so outrageous without testing him myself."
-"Big brother, be mindful of your words. Don't disrespect the benefactor of the forest like that," warned the one they called the Ogre Princess. Such good manners, but her brother's intervention will make it easier.
-"No need to worry, we don't mind," said Rimuru while changing into his chibi form. "In fact, it will be better if I show you all why I've also been given this task by Veldora. I will face you, and those two over there."
He turned to the chiefs of Mezu and Gozu tribes. These idiots stayed calm, but their faces showed disdain while looking at Rimuru. No one will question him after this little show.
-"Huh, don't think too highly of yourself, slime."
-"Yeah, it's not good to use the fame of the Demon of Honor when you're not worthy."
They really are numbskulls, don't you think I would have punished someone who dared misuse my name like that?
-"Please brother, retract while you still can."
-"It's no use, you know how stubborn your brother is. We can just pray he won't get punished too hard for it."
I see the Princess, her father and most of the other representatives are smart enough to predict how it will end.
-"Don't sulk if it's too much for you, slime. But if you happen to be the real deal, I won't mind bowing to you."
-"If you say so. You three, come at me with the intention of killing me."
The three of them rushed at full speed, but Rimuru was way faster.
*Triple bonk*
-"Was it enough for the rest of you?" he asked the assembly, after having punched his opponents into the ground. He also let out more of his aura to give them a glimpse of his power.
They remained silent. Seeing a slime talking, taking human form and dealing with 3 strong monsters in one strike is no joke. Rimuru dug up the 3 idiots before returning to his seat. I just have to finish my speech before letting him explain his plan.
-"Now you see this slime is strong. I can assure you he's worthy to be my equal, and since I can't use all of my power because I still lack a proper body, he will be the forest's main guardian. Now this matter is settled, we can narrate to you what happened in the Sealed Cave."
*A few minutes later*
All of them have thoughtful expressions after listening to our story -minus some details like Veldora being in Rimuru's stomach. Reincarnated demon and slime being equals with a True Dragon is unprecedented. And with Treyni's confirmation of our blessing, no one will object to our new position.
-"Now, we need to talk about how we will protect the forest and its inhabitants. For that, I'll let Rimuru share his plan with you."
-"First, our current situation. Now Veldora is gone, nothing stops the neighboring countries from exploring the forest. The human countries are probably in turmoil so they won't make a move for some time, but it's not the same for the Demons Lords."
This name has raised the tension. For unnamed monsters, Demon Lords are the pinnacle of the world, unreachable entities sometimes akin to gods. Some may be good, others could be bad news, and they understand what kind of dangers could fall upon them.
"Thankfully, according to Mithra most of them won't do anything because they are not interested or too far away. But we need to be careful of the four who live in the South and East, especially Carrion, Frey and Clayman. As the youngest and most active, they are likely the ones who will make a move."
-"But don't be afraid. Because I've monitored them multiple times, I can say without a doubt those three aren't strong enough to pose a real threat to me. Only Carrion could give some trouble to Rimuru… Well, that's being pessimistic, but better stay cautious."
-"Really lady Mithra?" ask the Princess, probably aware of the underlying meaning of my words. "I don't doubt you but, they are Demon Lords, and you told us you cannot use all of your strength here for now."
-"Correction, they are Demon Lord Seeds, as we are. Not awakened like Milim or Rouge."
Hm? Why did she look at me with such big eyes? As if I said something dangerous.
-"... Lady Mithra, when you say Rouge, could you be referring to Demon Lord Guy Crimson?"
-"I am. Why?"
-"Hem. Old hag, normally no demon except Primordials and suicidal ones would ever casually call him Rouge, you forgot that?"
Ah... Welp, my mistake. They would have known one day so why not today?
-"It may be rude but I need to ask. Who are you truly?"
-"Someone who defeated the remaining four Primordials in Hell, and who have been accepted as their equal."
-"I'm sorry, what?" asked Treyni, as even she is baffled by this.
-"Well, the first week I spawned I gave Jaune the beating of her life, Violet was humiliated-"
*Thud*
-"Ah! Sister, wake up."
Apparently it was too much for the girl, and I see others like Goblins and the Rabbitman chief also fell from the shock. Let's take a break before continuing.
-"I knew beforehand you were special, but that... The world will undergo massive changes."
Treyni continues to smile, but this one is tainted by nervousness.
-"In our two lives, you always had this effect on people," remarks Rimuru with this stupid grin he makes when he wants to tease me.
-"Shut up, you did worse. This time I hope you won't behave like a complete perverted moron or a delinquent."
-"You know I was never alone, nor the leader. Go complain to the perverts dragons, the fashion victim ant and the reckless baldie for that. And you were worse than any of us, remember?"
It has been a while, I admit I missed those petty quarrels. It's these kinds of things that make someone feel alive.
-"Okay, let's continue," I said to everyone, allowing Rimuru to expose the rest of the plan.
-"Now you have an idea of the extent of our power. But it isn't possible for us to cover the whole forest in case of emergency, so we need a way to make you able to defend yourselves when we aren't here. The best way is to name all of you-"
*Shocked noises*
-"-And don't worry about us, we know of the risks associated with naming and it's not a problem. Kumara."
-"Y-yes?"
-"Come here."
-"...Okay."
Kumara approached with difficulty, being so stiff you could mistake her for a statue. Rimuru picked her up and patted her head softly, appeasing the little fox. The assembly looked with amazement at the sight of a legendary Ninehead, and this one has a name.
-"Ranga, Lycaon, could you get out for a minute?"
He also called our doggos who emerged from our shadows. Ranga seems a little jealous about Kumara, but it didn't last as Rimuru scratched his mane with his other hand. And for good measure I did the same with Lycaon, those two started to let out groans of satisfaction.
-"Two weeks ago we named the three of them, plus the rest of the pack the same day. And we didn't lose a single drop of power from it. So it's not a problem for us to go on a naming spree as long as we manage our reserves well."
-"Now, your answer." I crossed my arms. "What will you do?"
-"I accept." The young red-haired Ogre was first to manifest.
-"Big brother?"
-"Don't try to stop me. I lost pathetically, and I must ditch my pride for the sake of our village. I don't want to lose anyone, and for that I must become stronger. And since I heard of their story, it's clear to me. These two are worthy to be my masters if they want an idiot like me."
So he changed his mind for the sake of his kin. He may be impetuous, but not stupid nor irresponsible. He has the potential of being a good chief.
-"He's not the only one," replied the Lizardmen chieftain while slowly getting up. "It would be an honor to follow such strong beings, even more when they sincerely want to protect our homes."
-"Same as my son, I must know when to let go of my pride for the sake of my people in such troubled times. And honestly it will be really hard to find a best pick."
After the Ogre chief, all the others agreed to this, even those horse and bovine meatheads. It went better than I hoped, even accounting for my fame and good reputation. I think I underestimated the monster's rule of following the strong.
-"Okay let's do this. It's up to you, Rimuru."
-"Hm? You won't name us, lady Mithra?" asked the Ogre chief.
-"Better not, unlike him I'm not good at picking good names. For Lycaon I was just inspired. Unless you're good with a silly name who will make everyone laugh. But I'll still participate by giving some of my magicules to Rimuru, he'll use both of ours for your naming."
-"If you say so, we're good."
After a few minutes, Rimuru named them all, and we immediately saw the difference for many monsters. The Lizardmen chieftain now named Abiru looks like he got a rejuvenating cure, the Hobgoblin called Rigurd metamorphosed from a dried green plum to a big mass of muscles. All of them gained a good amount of power.
This time, we didn't feel as tired as with Kumara. Rimuru managed to find a way to use the magicules present in the air to name monsters. We still used a little part of our own for those who were named by this method as I stated beforehand, as a mark of trust.
For those like the Ogres and some others, we only used our own reserves. Because they show greater potential, we wanted to boost their growth as much as possible.
-"Now, I still have to tell you what I want to do regarding our neighbors. But first, since you all pledged your loyalty to us, I must thank you for giving us your trust, and we promise to give our all to protect you. Now for the last part..."
Rimuru explained how he wanted to create a Federation within the forest, with each race ruling over their territory like before, and only having to let the central authority -namely us and some close aides- dealing with foreign policies, defense, cooperation between races, infrastructures and some other things. A city will be built in a plain nearby the Sealed Cave, acting as a capital, and where all races are welcomed.
The forest will be known in the world as a country of monsters, but still welcoming humans if they are ready to surpass their bias against monsters. We will use my name to reduce the risks of hostile actions, and Rimuru will go to Dwargon trying to make a deal with Dwarves, for technology, craftsmans and opening diplomatic relations. As Dwarves are also seen as subhumans by most of Western countries, it will grant both nations advantages in international relations.
For our country's name, we agreed on the Jura Tempest Federation, as for the capital name...
-"Before you start giving ideas, a single rule: not Mithra's name, neither mine. We don't like having people naming all kinds of things after us."
We saw Rigurd slowly lower his hand, apparently he got this idea. Thankfully we managed to avoid an embarrassing turn of events.
-"The best would be a name who inspires hope in the hearts of everyone," suggested Akamaru, the freshly named Ogre Chief, who evolved into a Kijin like his children.
-"Good idea but it remains vague. Maybe a name about the future we want, or reminding of the beauty of nature," replied one of the Elves representatives.
'A name about hope huh? It could be good, I wonder what Rimuru would-'
-"Maybe something about stars."
Stars? Why not... Ho, also as a reminder of Veldanava? Okay but what could be...
-"Why not Nova Stella? In an ancient language of our world it means 'New Star', as a light born of the will of people for a brighter future."
Latin? Seriously? Don't try to be a hipster, no one will-
-"Ho! What a great name," said Rigurd with too much enthusiasm.
What?
-"Indeed, I could never think of anything better," concurred Abiru.
-"And it has such a poetic tone," concluded Shuna.
-"Okay, if you like it so much it's settled. We just have to start its construction."
And it's done. I can't say anything now they have all approved. Well, better than nothing.
-"With that, our assembly has almost finished. But in order to live in peace, we need to create some basic rules until we get a proper legal department. And this is where you shine old hag."
-"Really... So, three rules you must all have in your heads. First, no infighting. Second, don't belittle others because you evolved. Third, don't attack humans unless you are defending yourself. The third rule will be the base for our diplomatic relations.
As monsters, if we want to stop humanity from seeing us as violent and dangerous, we need to let them understand we are intelligent beings who like peace like them. But if humans, as individuals or larger groups happen to start a fight, you need to preserve your lives and retaliate. We won't start wars, but if they want it they will pay the price."
-"We'll visit you all once I return from Dwargon. Then I'll start naming each and every inhabitant of the forest, no matter the time it will take."
Now we are done, we returned to the Treant Settlement, traveling on our dogs. Rimuru changed back into his blob form, Kumara holding him like a plushie. That's kinda cute.
He prepared some bargaining items such as full potion, something which shouldn't be possible to produce even for Dwargon and which will serve as a hook for negotiations. He asked Kumara if she wanted to come, without pressing her.
She hesitated for a while, before saying in a quiet voice she was curious about Dwarven culture. Heh, I bet she doesn't want to leave his side now she started to get out, he's the one who makes her feel secure.
What? Jealous, me? Naaaahhhh... Okay, I'm freaking jealous! Our relationship may have warmed, but she is still awkward when we are alone. I understand why, but it makes me feel bad.
As for me, I must return for a while in Hell, replenishing my strength. This time I'll go to Blanc's castle, no way I'm going back to Noir's place now he became a fanboy. If it goes like last time I'll be the supreme judge and overlooker of all the legal departments, so might as well prepare some foundations while I'm stuck down here.
It's refreshing to build a country at a calmer pace. Nothing like the emergency we went through previously, when we were trapped.
***
The lost world, 186 years before D-Day.
12 years after the gate closed, humanity managed to control the situation, even if pain and sacrifices were made. At first, many were desperate, and many disappeared. When the first census was done, there were officially 284 000 survivors. It was estimated nearly 47 000 people died, almost exclusively trespassers who didn't travel by official transports and who explored on their own.
Thanks to 2 brave, yet reckless adventurers, they managed to make contact with other races, also trapped here since centuries. Those 'locals' helped the new prisoners of this world, with food, maps of the surroundings, hunting methods against the hostile fauna.
Multiple groups wanted to find other safe places to build towns, making it easier for the whole community to survive by maximizing their chances. In response, an exploration force was created to survey uncharted areas and protect the colonies. At the same time, a council was established to manage all kinds of issues, and determine what path humanity should follow.
One day, after an extraordinary meeting...
-"Hey Alestar, how are... WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"
-"Oh hi. It's just a scratch."
-"You dare call that a scratch?! You lost a hand! I know it will regrow but-"
-"It's a scratch, because it will regrow. It's a matter of days. I was simply ambushed."
-"Seriously, do you have a death wish? Each time I'm stuck here dealing with logistics and you go on your own, something serious happens."
-"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I just wanted to tell you, I'm returning next week in the uncharted rift with some insects guys and beastmens. We found some ruins there and we will explore it."
-"Already? You arrived only this morning for the assembly, take your time a little."
-"I can't. But if you're that worried for me, you just have to accompany us. Your lieutenant returned with me, he'll deal with paperwork as long as needed and serve as a proxy for the next council. I have my own, so they won't complain anymore."
-"...Don't even try to leave without me like a thief. This rift is fucking dangerous, you'll need all the help you could muster."
-"I WON'T! You're still on that? It was three years ago, dammit."
-"And you almost died because you departed too hastily. You're a council member and one of the best hopes for the population, so act like it."
A month later, their group would explore the first of many hidden ruins scattered across the planet. While the first trespassers came into this world more than 500 years ago, it appears this land was home to an extinct race, strangely similar to the actual humanity...