Milim POV:
Finally, the day has come. We'll reveal the Labyrinth today, and show the world how fun it is. It's too bad I couldn't help all the way as I wanted, but Rimuru insisted I stay enough time in my territory to learn how to rule. Well, I can see his point about my new responsibilities, and above all how Frey wouldn't leave me alone if all I did was play in Tempest. Not that I like it, but if I can avoid a scolding from her. Somehow she's unnerving when pissed, Carrion agrees with me.
Anyway, I feel my excitement building up, I can't wait for the tournament to finish. I know how it will end, so it's not as enjoyable for me as it will be for others. Carrion may have a handicap due to his fake identity, but he won't lose to Eva. I know her from all the times I went to Clayman's castle, she's strong for Jistav's standards but not good enough against the Beast King.
The Dragonewt girl is hyping up the audience and introducing them again for the show. Let's take a peek outside during the final with my [Milim Eye]. I wasn't paying attention on the way here, but I noticed some commotion near the central plaza. Maybe it hasn't ended yet.
*Small detour to the plaza, Third POV*
-"...This is so humiliating." Carrera hid her face behind her left hand and didn't dare look anywhere.
-"I want to die. I didn't expect Sir Rimuru would be so merciless with us." Ultima gazed in nothingness, pale as a corpse. "Not that I disapprove, it shows he is our lord. But…"
-"But you never expected to be the one suffering from it. Well, if you used your brain before showing this sorry spectacle to everyone yesterday, you wouldn't be looking so pathetic." Testa showed her disapproval, arms crossed.
In plain view, under the fountain, Carrera and Ultima were sitting on chairs, holding each other's hand. This is the punishment Rimuru found for these troublemakers. Simple, appearing innocent and goofy, yet deadly effective for them. The profound sense of shame they felt, vulnerable to everyone's gaze, is the best way to teach them a lesson.
At first, Mithra thought it was too light of a sanction. After all, they caused trouble for all to see during the most important event of the country, when it officially opened its frontiers to the world. Yet, she shut up when she noticed the dread scarring the girls' faces. For Rimuru, this is the perfect middle ground. He didn't want to punish them too hard for something so light, but had to send a message about executives losing their shit during formal events.
Even Diablo pitied them, feeling how terrifying it would be if he was in this situation with his own 'nemesis', Guy. To be honest, the redhead would feel the same if he got stuck with the most annoying of his siblings that way. At least it served as an incentive for him to stay composed during work.
*Click*
-"Hey. What are you doing Esprit? Put that down." Ultima's skin reddened from both embarrassment and anger. "Carr, tell your subordinate to cease this immediately."
-"Sorry, I can't. Mithra's order. I don't wanna take any risks." Esprit played innocent but didn't hide how amused she was, holding a camera prototype. "Welp. Gimme your best smile, sis. Even during this, show us you're taking it better than her."
-"...How your own lineage can be this casual with you is always a sight to behold." Testa shook her head before walking away. "You have an hour left. I hope you have learned your lesson, don't make me ashamed of you again."
*End of the small detour, back to Milim POV*
Pfft. That was interesting. With their reputation and after hearing what Guy had to say about them, I knew they would be fun. I'm not disappointed.
Now, where are we? Ah, Eva is still standing, but struggles to not get pushed out of the arena bounds… Or not. Carrion simply brute forced his way, making her unable to drop her guard. She conceded, seeing she couldn't take the initiative anymore. Good, that's what I expect from Carrion. It would've been annoying if he couldn't grasp victory even while hiding his identity as an ex-Demon Lord.
-"Hey, I'm not late?" Ramiris flew at full speed and avoided a collision with my seat. "I'm so nervous I couldn't sleep."
-"I can see that. You have huge bags under your eyes, y'know? Wait a little." I looked at Diablo who reacted on the spot with a jolt. "Can you bring coffee for her before she collapses?"
-"As you wish."
He disappeared without making a fuss at an order not coming from Rimuru, nice change. I bet it has a link with the state he was in yesterday. It's too bad no one answered when I asked and they all tried to divert my attention. Must be something embarrassing. Guy complained often about this guy's whereabouts and from what I understood he's a true creep.
As Ramiris sat on the armrest, Rimuru went to the arena to congratulate Carrion and the other participants. Once he gave Carrion his prize, he teased about the biggest surprise of the festival, aka the Dungeon. He let the Dragonewt girl advertise it and Beretta came to explain the rules while the giant cameras were showing the entrance to everyone.
-"Why am I not surprised anymore by all your inventions?" Gazel took out popcorn and ate it with a blasé look before turning to Rimuru. "I assume you know what you're doing, showing this creation so casually."
-"Of course we're aware of the potential misuses of this system, but that's a calculated risk we're willing to take." Rimuru made a sign to give popcorn to everyone when he saw Gazel munching his.
-"Yeah. Compared to some technologies of our old world and the problems they could bring, monitoring this is childsplay." The guildmaster guy nodded and gave a thumbs up to Rimuru.
-"Hehe. I look forward to the applications of this technology. I can imagine the entertainment potential." Elmesia got a sly grin, while Eren's dad paled. I wonder why.
The public reacted well to the appeal of adventure and treasures, but the announcement of the revival bracelets caused an uproar. Of course it seems miraculous for commonfolk, even for strong individuals it's hella hard to perform such magic if you don't have the right Skill. I experienced this personally, unfortunately.
Beretta warned with insistence these items work only in the Labyrinth, to be sure no dumbass would try it outside. It would sucks if we lost visitors because of a stupid blunder from brainless adventurers.
-"You really think we're stupid enough to trust such baseless assumptions without seeing it for ourselves?" Ah, the rude guy Shizu blasted yesterday is at it again. "Don't make me laugh, next you'll tell us your masters can defeat a True Dragon themselves."
-"...Well, of course it would be difficult to believe, so I'll show you how it works." Souka… Yeah, that's her name. Souka managed to keep calm and took a bracelet while showing a professional smile. "Beretta, if you may attack me-"
The rude guy didn't let her finish and rushed, his sword drawn to test it himself. What a creep, he's not hiding his bloodlust anymore and it's clear he wants to provoke the Tempestians. I would have dealt with this trash if it weren't for this formal event, too bad I have to keep a low profile. At least someone took the responsibility to do it in my stead.
-"GAAAAH!" He clenched the wound Shizu gave him by chopping off his hand which flew a few meters away. "You bitch!"
-"You didn't learn your lesson I see. I think I'm allowed to bring back the Demon Instructor within me for once." She took Souka's bracelet and put it on that trash's arm with an expression of disgust you give to a worm. "Since you're so eager to test it, do us a demonstration."
*Slash*
Wow, his head fell next to his lost hand, that's neat. I heard rumors, but it's funny seeing Shizu act so cold, she looks so badass. I saw the guildmaster guy and Hinata gulping and sweating like fountains, they saw this side of her beforehand from their reaction. The kids too are shaking hard, except the Chloe girl.
The trash reappeared after a few seconds, his body intact. Souka took this opportunity to give another warning about the bracelet not working outside, and about the moral code the future visitors will have to follow to avoid this kind of punishment. There were murmurs of approval from the public, satisfied with the way Shizu handled the situation. Mmh? The trash looked traumatized.
-"Kufufufu. As expected from Shizu, we can count on her." Diablo returned and gave Ramiris her coffee before taking his place behind Rimuru again.
-"Wasn't this bracelet of yours supposed to have a pain nullification for death?" Mithra asked Ramiris with a puzzled expression.
-"Hehehe. Of course it does. But do you think I would let it go on for someone who dares insult us so freely?" Ramiris flew to Mithra's seat and let out a sinister laugh that didn't suit her minigirl form well. "I know what you think, but don't forget I'm a Demon Lord in name too."
-"Nice." Mithra gave a high five, careful to not blast away Ramiris with her strength, something which took me a long time to master myself.
Yeah, we tend to forget this pixie was hella strong, back in the days. I never saw it myself, to be honest, as every time she grows back to her true form, she reverts to the pixie sized girl most people know.
Anyway, it's time for the first adventurers to test our attraction. With the trash out of the picture, we have Shizu; Eren's party; another party called 'Great Lightning' or something and Stella's group.
When we searched for a tester before today's demo, Shizu offered her help. We made her go down the 30th floor to be sure the difficulty is calibrated well for most adventurers. She said she wanted to take the kids here for practical lessons in the future. Today she's going as our main advertiser, thanks to her popularity.
Eren's party gave us many sweets a few days ago, and we wanted to show our appreciation with a map of the first ten floors, but Rimuru caught us. Well, to be fair, Charys sold us. He still allowed Eren to study a map of the 1st floor for today, as a recognition of their 'ballsy corruption tentative'. They should use it well as the layout will change for the true opening.
Afterward, Scylla let out by accident we were going to do a last minute upgrade of the traps, so Rimuru stopped us. Ramiris wanted to put trapdoors, but he said this kind of hazard could be used to speedrun through the Dungeon so she abandoned the idea.
Stella, Phos and Nemu wanted to test their skills before Tempest's peaceful atmosphere gets them rusty. Yet they were nervous, realizing Carrion, Frey and I would watch their progress today. Don't be afraid, you have what it takes to go down the 40th floor I think, so enjoy yourselves. Wahaha!
Souka gave the start signal, all parties have three hours to put on a good show. Today, they have access up to the 10th floor, it's enough for the demo, and we want to make sure it's all good beyond for the true opening. I managed to get Frey's approval to stay and help for the next few days, as I went ahead on my learning schedule. Rimuru and Mithra also offered to help with my lessons when I'm here so I could stay longer once in a while. Thank you, you're true besties.
As Souka commented on the parties' advance, Beretta gave the last explanations about the loot system and the bosses. Honestly, only divine-rank individuals could see the 100th floor, and I'm not even talking about conquering the whole Dungeon. There's what? Not even ten people in the world who can defeat Veldora. And before him, challengers have a few good opponents to deal with.
Mezul and Gozul are on floor 50; Ramiris puts her Colossus on the 60th; Adalmann, Albert and Wenti awaits on the 70th. For the 80th, we decided on a rotary system between a few candidates able to do the link in power between the undead's party and the Insectar siblings. For now, Beretta and Charys are taking this role, we'll see if we find someone to bolster the roster later.
Apito and Zegion guard the 89th and 90th floors respectively. As they're Zelanus' direct descendants, they will grow really fast, especially Zegion. They're trained in turns by Veldora, Mithra and Rimuru to become real powerhouses.
Also, as the 80th floor and below won't see challengers for a long while —and when they do it will be scarce— it allows the bosses to do what they want on the side. It's helpful for Apito to keep up her honey production. I can't live without my daily dose of honey, it's the best sweet thing I ever tasted.
Okay, back to the 'live stream', as Rimuru called it. Eren's party is plundering the 1st floor, thanks to the map they got. Shizu is rushing at high speed, aiming for the Black Spider to show the spectators what they should expect from a Floor Boss. The girl trio is advancing tranquilly, doing their best to explore like it's a serious expedition. And the last party…
-"Is it normal for them to have such bad luck? It could hurt your attraction's reputation if they're not doing better soon." Mithra noted with a wry tone, still pissed at Rimuru who forbade her from participating in the Dungeon's creation.
-"It doesn't help that they're exploring like total newbies. Basson is quite strong, but he and his team aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. We always have to be careful when assigning him a task." Kazar- no, Kagali pointed at their flaw with a sigh, and the guildmaster sighed with her.
-"At least, future visitors have right now an example of what not to do, can compare with the other teams and prepare accordingly. Most adventurers think they wouldn't act as recklessly as this team to boost their ego anyways, so no need to worry about it." Shion made a good point somehow, she is surprising me more and more since yesterday.
Finally, they got lucky after two hours, and found a silver chest with a Rare-grade sword in it. It was enough to pump up their motivation, even if that didn't stop them from acting so amateurish and losing a party member to a trap. They're crying the loss of their comrade even after witnessing the bracelet working, it's so stupid it's crazy fun. Humans always find a way to look entertaining.
Eren's team returned with the whistle after a thorough search in the 3rd floor. They couldn't find loot as easily there without a map, but still managed to find a boss area room by accident. The thief tripped and fell on a hidden mechanism to open the wall.
The girls eliminated all the monsters with ease and went down the 9th floor thanks to Nemu finding the way down with her sharp instincts. Shizu defeated the Floor Boss without even looking, making the spectators cheer for her. On this note the timer ended, and they all returned to the surface.
-"Okay, time to wrap this up." Rimuru rose from his seat and stretched. "You're coming, old hag?"
-"Yeah, yeah." Mithra followed and made an effort to hide her sour expression, before they teleported to the arena ground.
Rimuru made a last speech, thanking the participants for their implication and confirming the true opening in a few days. Mithra got an idea. She promised that anyone managing to conquer the whole Dungeon would get the right to challenge them, creating a commotion in the crowd.
-"What's the plan, saying that out of nowhere?" Rimuru fumed when he returned to the VIP section. "As if we needed this sort of trouble."
-"Piss off, midget. I just gave another incentive for adventurers to visit your attraction. So many blockheads wouldn't waste this 'opportunity' to enter the legends, not that they're able to anyway. So you should thank me for boosting its attractiveness instead of lashing like a brat." Mithra flicked his forehead in annoyance, and sparks were flying between them.
-"There, there. She has a point, Rim." Kumara grabbed him from behind and pulled him out of range. "Plus, this promise in the middle of the arena gave you both a cool aura. It will stay in everyone's mind as a reminder you are big shots."
-"Mmrmph… If you say so." He calmed down and let himself be patted for Kumara's enjoyment. Not fair, I want a pat too.
-"I like how easy it is to tame you, Rimuru." Lulu licked her lips, making Hinata shudder. She's sus as always.
-"Not here, idiot. There's children." The paladin chopped Lulu's head in a hurry before taking the kids outside.
We all left and went our separate ways for the end of the day. The festival lasts until tomorrow and there's no special event to attend left, so now it's free time. I'll use this evening to show Middray around and all the best food stalls. I have to strike while the iron is hot, the more he experiences, the faster the Dragon Faithful will go back on the right track about cooking. LET'S GO!
Laplace POV:
-"Still pondering how to approach your daughter? Who knew you could be so timid? Wow, be careful little one." Footman laughed as he caught a goblin child before she fell flat on the ground.
-"It's so funny imagining Laplace as a father. It means you had a wife and did the thing." Tear played with two dolls and mimicked a kissing session between them. "Laplace is a full adult, good boy."
Haaah… It's like that almost every day, being teased due to my past life. Not that I mind, but I lack my usual comebacks as my mind is full due to my current ordeal. How the hell am I supposed to reveal myself? I can't simply walk to her and say 'Yo, I'm your long lost dad who just remembered his old self after a two millennia long amnesia. Come give daddy a hug.'
And Sylvia. How would she react? Does she still remember me, after all this time? It wouldn't surprise me if she had found a new companion, and I cannot say anything against it; there's no use mourning over a dead forever.
-"You're surprisingly quiet, Claym- I mean, James." Tear stopped playing for a minute and turned to our friend who hid his identity. She's poking his head while spinning around him.
-"That's true, it isn't like you… Lemme guess, sulking about the bull's fate yesterday again?" I snapped from my thoughts, knowing his reaction would be golden.
-"It should have been me, not him!" Clayman 'James' yelled like a madman, throwing a tantrum like a brat. "How that beast dared faint between Eva's thighs like he took a nap?"
-"Careful, people are looking at you in a weird way." Footman tried to block the view but even with his size it's not enough.
-"I don't care, they can't recognize me; and screw it all."
Yeah, commonfolk can't recognize him with his disguise —a fake mustache, a poncho and a large hat called a 'sombrero', given by Sir Rimuru— but that's not a reason. Those who know him will still get disappointed when they'll watch him rolling on the ground, no matter the reason.
Since he recovered his mind, he not only admitted his flaws and worked to get better. He also… What should I say? Disinhibited himself. Outside of his formal tasks as Jistav figurehead, he decided he wouldn't give a fuck anymore. Nowadays, it's not uncommon to see him leave Jistav, disguise himself and throw a party in a bar in Tempest. Or fool around the baths, trying to peek at the women in company of a small Hobgoblin with a big head. We had to get him in a hurry once before he got caught by Prez Kagali.
Last week, that idiot even blurted he found Eva sexy, when she was serving tea. The poor girl spilled it on him due to the shock, and it has gotten awkward since. Well, it might not be too bad, Clayman should just let her swallow the pill… He'll have a hard time with his training though, Eva will most likely push him to his limits more than ever.
-"Rooh. At least help us boost Laplace's morale. He's having a hard time too." Tear pouted, her arms on her waist.
-"Okay then. Bro, hear me out." Clayman stood up and grabbed my shoulder. "Just go to her, and speak without roundabouts. Forget it might fail, in a misunderstanding it might work."
-"...That's not really what I wanted to hear, but thanks I guess."
*Baaam*
-"Oww! The hell, Footman?" Clayman massaged his skull where a bump appeared. "What was that for?"
-"I'm trying to repair you. I heard you punch things when they're not working properly in hope it goes better." The big oaf prepared another punch to test that theory further.
-"For machines, stupid. Not people." Clayman fled before he had to suffer from Footman's experiment further.
Heh. What a bunch of buffoons. But he's right, I shouldn't overthink it, it won't do me good. Maybe she won't believe me, I don't care. If the worst comes to worst, I'll be in the shadows to look after her when I can, as long as she's smiling and enjoying her life it's enough.
But man, my girl grew up into a splendid woman. She looks almost identical to Sylvia, what a change, she was a toddler last time I saw her… Talking about Sylvia, what are you doing now?
Third POV:
'What am I doing here?' Blanche thought, not daring to look anywhere.
She was on her way to meet with Shuna before Mithra caught her for a private drinking party with Elmesia. No matter how much she protested on the way, the young Demoness couldn't break free. Mithra only told her she was necessary for a plan involving both nations. Blanche didn't understand why she was chosen over Testa, nor why Rimuru isn't involved.
The poor girl felt it was unnerving in a strange way. No one spoke a word, Mithra and Elmesia were exchanging cordial smiles. Blanche sensed Mithra was thinking of doing something outlandish, and could only hope it wouldn't cause unnecessary problems.
-"Ah, the last piece of the puzzle arrived. Take a seat." Mithra pointed to the empty chair on her left at the newcomer, which appeared to be Kagali.
-"Sorry for the delay. It wasn't easy to trick Yuuki away." She sat and glanced nervously at the Empress, which wasn't left unnoticed.
-"You don't have to fear me, you know, my dear." Elmesia laughed softly, her chin resting on her crossed hands. "I'm not as scary and unreachable as what I'm depicted in human nations."
-"M-My apologies. I assure you it has nothing to do with your reputation."
-"Hmmm. About the one called Laplace, then?"
-"WHAA?" Kagali rose from her chair all of sudden and looked tense.
-"Rimuru told me my father was alive some time ago, but didn't spill all the beans right away." Elmesia remained chill and took out some candy. "He waited for me to digest the news, and I heard the rest during the festival. Now, I'm waiting for my father to muster the courage to come and speak to me."
As she spoke, Elmesia saw how Kagali lost her composure. The ex-Demon Lord looked at the floor, her ears dropping in anticipation. Blanche felt out of place and Mithra remained neutral, waiting for the elves to resolve the situation.
Elmesia rose. She approached Kagali, and without giving her the time to retreat, hugged her. Frozen in surprise, Kagali couldn't do anything else than listen to the other elf.
"I know what happened, millenia ago. I may have not worked due to your inexperience, but you still saved him in a way. For that, thank you." Elmesia broke the hug, she could see Kagali crying in silence. "We are indebted to you. Be at ease, you're kinda part of the family now."
-"...Just like that? I feared you wouldn't take it so well. But thanks." Kagali wiped her tears and sat, her heart lighter. "So, won't you go tell him?"
-"Nah. It will be funny letting him stress over how to approach me. You'll tell me next time how he's doing." Elmesia grinned and returned to her place, turning to Mithra. "Now it's all good, why did you call us?"
-"I wanna discuss a little project I had in mind, over a good bottle." She brought hard liquor and glasses from a locker. "I think you'll like it."
-"When you say 'a' bottle, you mean thirty, don't you?" Blanche observed how well supplied the locker is.
-"Heh, you're learning my way fast. I warn you, don't try to leave so early, lass." Mithra grabbed the young girl when she tried to leave and forced her to sit back. "What's wrong with having some fun talk between smart women, disinhibited by alcohol?"
-'What's wrong is I know from Big Sis how you can be overbearing once soaked.' Blanche kept it to herself, not wanting to bring problems to Testa. She accepted it was her fate to end up soaked like a sponge before the end of the night.
-"Say Kagali, how is Cerberus doing?" Mithra gulped her first cup after having served everyone. "I assume they're too busy trying to expand eastward to have any control over the western underground."
-"It's as you say. With the Empire being our next opponent, Cerberus cannot disperse its forces. Yuuki and Damrada have their hands full with their tasks, unfortunately."
-"That's perfect then." Mithra leaned backward and looked at the ceiling.
-"I don't see why you're saying it's a good thing, personally. The underground likely is a total mess after Orthus' dismantling and the loss of Rosso's influence. If no one crushes them while it's still time, these ruffians will seek opportunities to reorganize. And without a doubt they'll be more aggressive toward civilians." Blanche replied, sipping her drink.
-"This is a good appraisal of the situation, but you overlooked a point. Despite everyone's good will, the underground will never disappear whole. Sadly, this world working outside the law can be a refuge for outcasts of all kinds, not only the criminals." Elmesia stated before tasting the whiskey.
Then, she stopped, deep in her thoughts. After a few seconds, she carefully put her glass on the table, a grin making its way up to her ears. "I see what you're planning, Mithra. I'm on it."
-"What are you talking about? I'm lost." Blanche looked in alternance between the two leaders, feeling uneasy at the sight of their suspicious smiles.
-"I knew you would catch up on me right away, El. To put it simply Blanche, why wouldn't we take care of the underworld ourselves?"
-"...Eh?" The young Demoness and Kagali's minds went blank.
Mithra and Elmesia explained how they could use Tempest and Sarion's intelligence; the Guild's network in the West and some help from allied rulers to establish their own underworld organization. With it, they would be able to deal with criminals while giving some respite to the outcasts and the weak.
Once they understood the plan —and with a few glasses to remove all mental barriers— Blanche and Kagali went along with much enthusiasm. It became clear why Mithra chose to call them. Kagali got the intel and resources of the Guild, while Blanche can establish the financial part in secret as the Minister of Economy.
-"Hehehe, I haven't had this much fun in years. I wasn't wrong in believing in your potential, Mimi." Elmesia began to wobble under the pressure of alcohol as she started using a nickname for Mithra.
-"Same here. Yuuki will fall on his butt once he'll witness our glorious buisness in motion. He'll have no choice but to praise me and buy me all the cream puffs I want." Kagali cheeks and ears reddened, and she drooled thinking about her favorite pastry.
-"Hell y*hiccup* yeeaaaah! We'll trample all these fuckers and s-show them who're the bosses. Big Shiss won't have any choice but to take meee sherioushly." Blanche became so wasted and fired up she could throw punches to anyone disagreeing with her. "It's shoo frustr *hiccup* -tating when she's shoo overprot… Opervot… Protecting. I'm a Demon too, I can kiss asses too."
-"You mean 'kick', don't you?" Elmesia asked while desperately holding a laugh. She was imagining the fearsome White Primordial aggressively kissing butts to attack.
-"YEAAAH! And Teshta can kiss mine if she wants me to shtop…" Blanche became mute all of sudden, as she passed out.
-"Bwehehahaha. I can smell all the buckets of gold we'll make for ourselves from here." Mithra's eyes turned into coins. "Take that, bastardly son. You prevented me from partaking in your Dungeon's creation, but now I have my own toy."
After a few more glasses, they all collapsed, one after the other. Fortunately for them, it's Kumara who first found them in the morning, and promised to keep quiet about their state after they bribed her. Soon, the name of their organization, the Four Unleashed Maidens, will be known across the whole underworld.
Gabiru POV:
I had enough. All I'm good at is getting ridiculed each time I try showing my prowess. Getting humiliated by Hakurou during training; being stuck as a second role during the different invasions, always behind Benimaru; the Executive's Tournament; and now in the arena…
What's wrong with me goddamit? All I want is to make my father proud, to show Souka I'm a reliable big brother, to show the value of descendants of Dragons. Yet, all that others see is the pitiful me, stumbling and left in the dust. Yeah, Gabiru the goofy lizard, good last of the executives. Surpassed by Gobta, outclassed by non-combatants like Lady Shuna and newcomers like Lady Blanche.
I left a letter to Sir Vesta in a hurry, apologizing for my sudden departure in vacation. I need some rest in my homeland, the good ol' swamps of Lake Siss. Maybe there, I'll manage to clear my mind, do some introspection… And get a clue on why I can't progress anymore.
It's haunting me so hard I can't even appreciate the journey. The scenery feels bland, I can't appreciate the noises of the nocturnal life nor the pronounced smell of the wet moss I'm walking on. Worse, the more I approach the Lake, the more I feel like my guts are tearing apart. As if my shame tries to burst out for the whole world to see.
-"What a peaceful night to wander in the forest, don't you think?"
-"Who's there?" I drew my spear on the spot, surprised by an unknown voice coming from my left.
Emerging from the dark among the trees, two elves approached, hands raised. They don't appear to be from Sarion's delegation, and from the way they approached and spoke to me it's clear they aren't dwellers from the Eastern villages. Travelers from afar it seems.
-"Apologies for having startled you. We only wanted to pay our respects to one of Tempest's executives on our way." They bowed and weren't showing any speck of hostility. "Lord Gabiru, was it?"
-"Please fellas. Drop the 'Lord' with me, I'm not worthy of such a title… And probably never will." I dropped my head, knowing it's an unfitting display toward strangers.
-"As you wish. I beg your pardon Sir, but it seems you have something weighing on your mind. It may be preposterous for nobodies like us to propose such a thing," he opened his bag and picked a bottle of what looked to be alcohol. "But perhaps would you like us to lend an ear to your worries?"
…Y'know what? Hell yeah I need it. I don't care if it's a stupid thing to do, bothering strangers with my pitiful problems. These gentlemens are willing to listen to my rambling when they could ignore me, and it's easier to speak to someone who doesn't know me.
For half an hour, I let out everything I had on my mind, between two cups of this delicious brandy from Eurazania. I could recognize this strong flavor everyday. These gentlemens listened without cutting me even once. They probably couldn't imagine half of what I went through, yet they passionately absorbed my words, it felt so good.
Speaking with outsiders really is different in a good way. Even when Sir Rimuru went to comfort me after my defeat yesterday and affirmed that I'll get opportunities if I take my time, it wasn't that deep.
-"I see. You had it rough, Sir Gabiru. But worry not, it is no shame to seek reassurance." The first elf served me a new cup to soothe my worries. "We can continue, if you don't mind us."
-"*Hiccup* Thanks a lot, you two. It's been so long since I felt this relaxed."
-"It's an honor." The second elf bowed again, before showing a more serious expression. "You don't need to return to the city for a while, don't you?"
-"*Hiccup* Nope, I'm free for around two weeks I'd say."
-"Then, I have a solution to propose. A way for you to find answers, and reach enlightenment." He took out an effigy in the form of a coiled snake, bursting with magic. "Our mistress seeks allies for a quest. It doesn't matter who they are or where they come from, she's willing to lend a hand to those who need a beacon for their path."
-"If you accept to follow us during your vacation, you'll receive a hint toward the heights you seek to reach." The first elf smiled when he noticed my interest. "We are a secret, neutral party, working to make the world a better place. A world, where one's desire won't remain pipe dreams, but prove to be true, not only for the strong but also for the powerless."
-"Like Tempest, all races are contributing. Unlike Tempest, we cannot reveal ourselves openly due to the lack of mighty allies, like the Storm Dragon." The second elf presented the effigy, which continued to radiate an enticing energy. "But we have a noble goal: to root out the evil which prevents all to live true to their desires. We seek an ally to our cause within your ranks, ready to take the path of the righteous."
-"It will be arduous, but we assure you you'll find what you need. The power to live up to your family's expectations, to your race's honor and to your country and lords' glory. What is your choice?"
Really? They would choose me, of all the Tempestians, for their heroic goal? I can't believe it, they decided to give me a chance to prove myself, after how hard I complained? If they weren't such gentlemens I would have called it a scam, but they have the eyes of those who believe in a great cause. It's firing me up.
-"You convinced me, fellas. I, Gabiru, shall be your companion in this honorable quest of yours, and your mistress…"
-"Mariabell. The saint who accepted to consume herself all the evil of the world."