Me, Rimuru, and Gazel, were in a meeting room. We were discussing the news that Milim has allied with us. I expected this since Vesta was the person who would report certain things to him and this was definitely the case. I'll tell him about the other alliances too, since he's already here.
It was pretty intense at first. As soon as he arrived, he was really pushing for a meeting as soon as possible when he arrived. I was all for it since I wanted to get it over with and while RImuru was here, I could tell he waa a bit nervous, since he was kind of responsible for making an alliance with Milim and by extension, Frey and Carrion.
He's probably nervous 'cause of the method of how we allied with Milim. I would be too, but I'm not going to say anything. Well, I'll spin it so he doesn't look dumb. As best as I can at least.
"So you're saying that you beat Demon Lord Milim in a duel and that led to both of your nations allying?", Gazel asked. He was clearly wary about this whole thing, but he wanted to hear our side of the story first before saying anything.
"Yes. That's the whole story. At least to everyone that isn't our allies.". I told him to which he picked up on very quickly.
"What's the true story then?".
"While it was a duel, it didn't involve fighting. It was more like a friendly competition with some stakes on the line, which we both took seriously. If she won, I would be her subordinate, and if I won then we would become allies. Simple as that.".
"So it was Rimuru who essentially initiated the whole thing and you were the one to carry out this competition."
"Yeah, but you should also know that we also made some alliances with demon lords Carrion and Frey. This was all recent. So, just a heads up.".
Gazel turned more serious when he heard me say that. "I'll say that while it is good to start allying with nations, you should be cautious about what this entails, especially since they are demon lord you are talking about. It won't look good for other nations.".
"You're talking about the Western Holy Church and their anti-monster message. The thing is, it would have happened anyway. This whole thing only speeds that up, but we're prepared for that. Rimuru here will have to make a tough choice soon if he wants to have the power to be sure.".
We both looked at Rimuru and he could feel the pressure from us. Gazel might not know what was going on, but me and Rimuru both knew what was happening. I used thought acceleration and thought communication to talk to him.
'Rimuru, make sure we're the only ones that can hear each other.'.
'Huh? Why the thought communication?'.
'Just make sure it's only us here.'.
A few relative seconds passed by until he responded again.
'Ok. What is it?'.
'Milim's already told you the whole thing that was supposed to happen right? With Carrion and Frey?'.
'Yeah? What's that got to do with all this?'.
'Become a Demon Lord. You don't have to join the group Milim is a part of, but you need to have the strength soon. Just tell Milim to get you the souls. She knows someone who can get you the souls, but it would attract attention from them if they don't already have their eyes on us.'.
'I don't need to take the souls myself?'.
'Look, Rimuru, you need to toughen up. Wanting to be peaceful is good and all, but if you don't have the fortitude and resolve to do what's necessary, then it won't matter what your thoughts are. Just become a Demon Lord. Trust me, you will need the strength for what's to come eventually.'.
He was silent for a few seconds. I could tell he was contemplating things. I don't know what, but I gave him one more push.
'Look at Gazel, Rimuru. They call him a hero-king. Do you really think he's gone his whole time without getting his hands dirty at least a few times? Whether it be killing or doing shady things for the good of his kingdom. No, he hasn't. This is an opportunity to gain strength without having to do that kind of thing, but it will probably be the last time. Remember, Rimuru, sometimes the good guys have to be bad.'.
'Alright, I'll ask Milim after this whole thing is over. And I'll try to think about the other thing you said.'.
'Good. Now we have to tell Gazel about it.'.
'What! Why?'.
"Rimuru, demon lords don't really have the best reputation around the world. They're all seen as evil and terrible beings who only want to kill and destroy. And while some may be like that, it's not really true. My point is, we should Gazel so we gain more of trust and all that.'.
'I swear, sometimes I think you're the one that's more qualified for this whole thing.'.
'Well, you may be a bit naive, a bit soft at times, struggle a bit under pressure, and some other things, but you've got the right spirit with you.'.
'Is that supposed to be a complement or something?'.
'Let's end this and continue the conversation with Gazel.'.
'Ok.'.
We ended the thought communication and acceleration and returned to our conversation with Gazel.
"Gazel, there's something you need to know for the future. It pertains to Rimuru, so I'll let him say it.".
Rimuru straightened himself up and told Gazel, "I'm going to become a demon lord in the future. I already have the foundation for it to be possible. I need the strength that comes from it, so I can better defend this nation.".
Gazel looked calm after hearing this. "So despite knowing that you will attract negative attention from your new alliances, you want to become a demon lord, which will only make other nations more wary?".
"Well, it's mostly going to be the Western Holy Church that will be a problem. They will only see a demon lord and start being scared, but with people who take the time to learn, like you, they will see it's nothing like they think. Not like it's something that I expect.".
Gazel just nodded at him. "Your confidence is good, but it will be tested eventually. It's a good thing you have Artora here to help you. Remember, our nations are allies, so don't be afraid to ask for help.".
"You're not afraid or anything?".
"No. Having trust is necessary for an alliance to work. I trust you won't turn out like how demon lords are perceived. I'll be leaving then, I've found out everything I need to know.". Gazel got up and through the door. A few minutes later we could see him riding with some pegasus knights back to his kingdom.
"There you have it Rimuru, now we just have to deal with one more small matter.".
"What is it?".
Just then, the door opened and Benimaru walked through.
"Lord Rimuru. Lady Pendragon. There's a group of adventurers from the Kingdom of Blumund and a group from the Kingdom of Falmuth. They've been brought in by Gobta. They wish to meet with you.".
Rimru quickly turned to me. "You said the Kingdom of Falmuth might go to war with us in the future. Is this part of some kind of scouting party to see our strength and stuff?".
"No it's something different. Let's go meet with them since we're already here. Benimaru, go ahead and bring them in, we'll try to make this fast.".
"I'm on my way.". Benimaru left quickly.
"So, Artoria, how are you liking your new house? Do you like the hot spring?".
"Funny thing about that actually.".
"What?".
"I can't really use it.".
"...Huh? What do you mean?".
"Anyway, get ready, they'll be here any minute.".