Accompanied by his faithful butler, Diablo, Rimuru entered Tempest's meeting room. The executives were already present, and upon seeing their master, they stood up and bowed respectfully. "Welcome, Rimuru-sama."
Rimuru settled into the throne customized for his slime form and signaled for everyone to sit. "Thank you for arriving on time, everyone. Now that we're all here, let's begin this meeting," he said firmly.
Everyone sat down, except Diablo, who remained by Rimuru's side. Rimuru was thinking about how to start the meeting. But before coming to the meeting room, he had asked Ciel to remind him how the meeting went in the previous timeline, so he was prepared and knew exactly what to say to his subordinates.
The meeting followed the same path as the previous timeline, with Rimuru informing them that he was officially recognized as a Demon Lord. His subordinates were extremely happy and congratulated him in every way.
Then Rimuru gave the news that surprised everyone, stating that his domain would now cover the entire Jura Forest. He noticed their surprised expressions but, this time, he knew why. Without waiting for comments, Rimuru quickly added, "I know what you're thinking; those on the other side of the forest will have to come and pay their respects, or it will be seen as an act of rebellion against me."
Everyone nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Rimuru then said, "But receiving them one by one seems like a hassle to me."
Even in his slime form, everyone could tell Rimuru was making that expression he made when he had a big idea, so they asked what was on his mind.
"Last night's banquet was fun, don't you think?" Rimuru replied with a question.
Everyone smiled and couldn't disagree. It had been a while since the last banquet, so it was very enjoyable.
Rimuru continued, "That inspired me, and I'm thinking of holding a big festival to receive everyone. It will also serve as my official presentation as a Demon Lord to the world. What do you think?"
Everyone immediately agreed. Their smiles were radiant; the idea of having a festival was the opportunity to unwind that they wanted. More importantly, it would be their master's presentation to the world.
Thus, more ideas came up explosively. The enthusiasm was palpable. In the next hour, they discussed the festival's details, with invitations already being drafted.
With that matter settled, it was time to know the situation in Farmus, meaning it was Diablo's turn.
According to Diablo's explanation, almost nothing had changed from the original timeline. Everything was going the way Rimuru remembered, so conquering Farmus was just a matter of time.
Amid this, the onis recalled the attack Tempest suffered in Rimuru's absence, which led them to think about who had orchestrated it all.
Rimuru already knew it had the hand of a certain grandmaster from a famous guild, but unfortunately, it wasn't the time to talk about that. He pondered how he should deal with Hinata, being now a million times stronger than her.
The meeting continued like this, with the executives discussing the course of action while Rimuru drifted in his thoughts.
Meanwhile, in the capital of Lubelius, the Holy Knights were also in a meeting.
They intended to discuss two main topics: the resurrection of the storm dragon and the birth of a new Demon Lord.
With Hinata leading, the meeting began.
The holy knight Litus started by sharing the information she had gathered from Tempest, stating that Demon Lord Rimuru seemed genuinely wanting to live in peace with humans.
Hinata then asked if there was any news about Veldora, to which Litus replied negatively.
With the information revealed, Saare, the imperial guard, made snide comments, mocking Hinata, saying that they allowed the birth of a new Demon Lord because someone let a certain slime escape.
Saare's comment caused an uproar due to the disrespect toward Hinata, and the tension rose between the Holy Knights and the imperial guards present.
Hinata herself let Saare's words pass, but the meeting was being held in the presence of the Holy Emperor. That childish quarrel irritated her to the point that she shot a deadly look at everyone, refocusing their attention on her.
Hinata then asked Saare for the report on the situation in Farmus.
Overall, the content of the meeting didn't deviate from the events of the original timeline. At some point, the archbishop of Farmus, Leyhim, arrived.
He was called to speak about the truth of what happened during Farmus' invasion of Tempest.
With regret and fear, Leyhim recounted what he saw, seeming immensely remorseful as he said, "I should have thought better; there were rays of light falling from the sky, devastating the soldiers without making a single sound. That was a true Demon Lord. With our own hands, we created a new Demon Lord."
The Holy Knights were surprised by Leyhim's state—he was terrified. This made them more cautious about Rimuru.
Hinata understood that Rimuru had awakened, a stage she had been seeking for a long time, but as a hero.
Then a new debate arose about whether Rimuru was a threat or not, whether they should eliminate him while they had the chance or believe the story that he intended to coexist with humans.
Hinata ordered silence and intended to give her final decision, but it was at that moment that those who manipulated everything from the shadows appeared.
"Hmm, don't you have a message to deliver, Leyhim?" they said as the Seven Luminaries appeared out of nowhere in the meeting room, right behind Leyhim.
"The Seven Luminaries," said Hinata upon recognizing them, staying calm.
Saare and the other knights were in shock at this event, unable to believe that the most influential figures in Lubelius were standing right in front of them.
"How can I help you?" Hinata asked, recalling Luminas' words, which said that even though they were corrupt, these were the most influential figures there, so dealing with them was somewhat tricky—clearly, unless she was involved.
"Hee hee hee, you don't need to be alarmed, Hinata. We are as concerned for the future of Lubelius as our lovely disciple is," one of the Seven Luminaries said. He concluded by saying, "So, Leyhim, don't you have another message to deliver?"
Upon hearing these words, Archbishop Leyhim stepped forward to Hinata while taking an orb from his robes. "Yes, they wanted me to give this to you, a message for you, Hinata-sama, from Demon Lord Rimuru." He handed the orb to Hinata.
As she held the orb, she was surprised because inside it, she could see Rimuru, but he looked very different from how she remembered him. Then she activated the orb to hear the message sent to her.
Rimuru's image began to speak. "I must fight you, just you and me, one against the other."
The message's content put Hinata on alert, as well as the Holy Knights. They immediately thought they should assemble a force to eliminate Demon Lord Rimuru.
But, with more calm, Hinata realized that those words didn't seem to come from Rimuru. Someone was scheming another sinister plan.
"Oh my, now that he has called me, I have no choice but to go there personally and talk to him," said Hinata, trying to ease her subordinates' concerns.
"Hinata-sama, you can't be serious?!"
"That would be very dangerous! As long as Demon Lord Rimuru emanates hostility, you'd be walking into a trap," said Nicolas, the cardinal.
But Hinata replied, "The message was very brief, and he didn't fail to tell us his true intentions. So, wouldn't it be better for me to meet him and talk about this?" She reached this conclusion.
Before the others could say more on the matter, one of the Seven Luminaries stepped forward and said, "That is a wise decision. You will surely be able to defeat him."
He then continued scheming his plans, stating that the Demon Lord had the storm dragon on a leash, so she should be cautious. But she shouldn't despair, giving her a powerful sword, the Dragon Buster, to kill Veldora.
With a single glance, Hinata realized those men's true intentions—they wanted to get rid of her, probably because she was receiving more attention from Luminas than usual. Still, she accepted the sword and thanked them. When she did so, the Seven Luminaries left the room without saying a word.
Thus, Hinata ended the meeting.
---
Meanwhile, in Tempest.
Several days had passed since Rimuru's meeting with his executives.
While in his office, with only Shion's company, he was quickly approached by someone. After granting permission to enter, he realized it was Souka, bringing information about the situation with the Holy Knights.
Without wasting time, Souka reported, "According to Nansou's report, he hasn't detected anyone leaving the sacred capital of Lubelius. Also, Hinata Sakaguchi left the Kingdom of Ingracia. She's alone, without anyone accompanying her. Judging by the direction she's heading, it seems like she's moving toward Tempest."
Rimuru frowned in his human form. "So she's coming here alone?"
"Yes, my lord," Souka confirmed. "It seems she's determined to meet you."
Shion, standing beside him, crossed her arms, worried. "Could this be a trap?"
Rimuru pondered for a moment before responding, "No, I don't think so. If Hinata really wanted to attack me, she'd bring an army. This seems more like a meeting to talk."
Rimuru thought for a few more seconds and then said, "Shion, inform everyone to gather in the meeting room. There's something I want to inform everyone about."
His expression was very serious, which created a sense of curiosity and concern among those present.
What could this information be?
______
Author's note: I believe everyone has seen the meetings in the anime, manga or light novel, so I tried to summarize as much as I could.
By the way, English is not my first language, so there may be several spelling mistakes or out-of-context scenarios. For those who are reading this far, I ask that you understand this detail.