One day, Rimuru was thinking about something serious regarding his life in the previous timeline, something he considered very important.
He was pondering that no matter how hard he tried, it seemed like there was an invisible force preventing him from getting too close to a woman, in that special sense.
Little did he know that it was because he wasn't trying hard enough, as there were many who wanted the chance to be with him. However, there were other factors that made things difficult, such as his androgynous body, which unconsciously made him less interested in romance.
There was also his ability and loyal partner, Ciel, who for some reason refused to define a gender for him. Not to mention the oni girls, who wouldn't easily let him get close to other women.
Upon deeper reflection, Rimuru realized that the invisible barrier was simply his own inability to argue against Ciel and the oni girls in these situations, he was single due to his own lack of initiative.
Or maybe he didn't argue because he was still immersed in the connection he felt with his soulmate, Shizue Izawa, leaving him with an eternal longing for what they never experienced. But whatever the reason for this barrier's existence, he wanted things to be different this time.
Rimuru sighed deeply, trying to get his thoughts in order. He was determined to change his approach and be more proactive in his personal relationships. This made him remember two women with whom he felt a strange closeness before the Reset.
The first was the heroine Chloe, who never hid her feelings for him, declaring she had loved him longer than he could remember. She was also the only one brave enough to steal a kiss from him, being a bit mischievous at times.
Despite enjoying her antics, Rimuru felt guilty because he still saw her as his little and dear student, never imagining she would grow into a woman overnight, much less that she would like him so much.
With Chloe, it was the closest he came to a romantic relationship, whether as Mikami Satoru or Rimuru Tempest.
The second woman, without question, was Hinata Sakaguchi.
Rimuru's relationship with Hinata was somewhat special, as they both loved teasing each other at every opportunity. It was their way of interacting. Before he realized it, Rimuru became very interested in Hinata, perhaps due to her cold and direct personality, or her unmatched beauty and form.
Unfortunately, they never progressed from friends to something more, but the way they interacted led many to believe they were secret lovers, which caused quite a bit of jealousy.
At that moment, Rimuru was thinking about Hinata, wondering if he should be more serious and try something different with her this time. The answer was yes—he had nothing to lose. However, being Hinata, with her cold and direct temperament, Rimuru was tempted to play a little prank on her. It was fun seeing her out of character when she was embarrassed.
Little did he know that this prank would get out of hand, angering someone Rimuru didn't intend to and even the entire Western Saints Church.
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Back to the present, Rimuru was in his office, meeting with the oni. The topic was Hinata Sakaguchi's visit to Tempest.
In the previous timeline, Adalman's help was needed to gather in-depth information about Rubelius and the Western Saints Church. But thanks to Ciel, Rimuru could easily remember everything. Thus, he wasted no time and explained everything to those present in the room.
In no time, Rimuru managed to summarize the information he intended to share, from the least relevant details to the Seven Luminaries, making it clear that they were plotting something against Tempest involving Hinata. This information triggered everyone's anger, their auras uncontrollably flaring, which made it obvious.
Shion, with a murderous gaze, said, "So these bastards intend to challenge Rimuru-sama? How foolish—they will be dealt with by me personally!" Everyone, except Rimuru, shared the same opinion.
Then Benimaru, who had been listening attentively, asked, "Rimuru-sama mentioned that these individuals are plotting something involving Hinata Sakaguchi. Does this mean she intends to cause problems for Tempest under their orders?"
Rimuru noticed the misunderstanding and quickly clarified, "Sorry, I think I explained myself poorly. Hinata is also a victim of these individuals. They intend to use her to face me in a duel, exploiting a loophole to eliminate both her and me."
Rimuru said this with the utmost casualness, but the information only made the oni even angrier. "How dare they!" exclaimed the beloved Shuna with a frightening look. Even she was upset after hearing everything.
Souei then said, "Wasn't Rimuru-sama's message to Hinata just an invitation to talk? What made her believe she was being invited for a fight?"
That question had also puzzled Rimuru at the time, but he eventually figured it out. So, he explained, "It seems my message was altered through magical means. They changed what I said to something in their favor."
Souei understood; it made sense. He didn't miss a certain detail and said, "Even if I had spied for months, I wouldn't have uncovered this much information. As expected, I still have much to learn from Rimuru-sama."
Embarrassed, Rimuru wasn't sure whether to accept the recognition, as he felt like he was cheating with his knowledge of the future.
Having explained what was necessary, Rimuru felt it was time to assign roles for the upcoming battle. Normally, he would seek the opinion of everyone to create a battle plan, but his knowledge of the likely future made that unnecessary.
He began explaining how the enemy intended to attack Tempest's capital and the way they planned to move to deceive everyone, along with their greatest combat force, the Ten Great Saints.
Benimaru paid the most attention during this moment; without asking anything, he already knew how to move his troops to deal with the approaching invaders.
Shion became very excited when she heard about the Ten Great Saints, already eager to fight one or more of them.
Souei remained in his corner but was equally excited; it seemed like the time had finally come to teach those insolent humans a lesson.
"That's all. As my executives, I'm sure you understand how to act based on the information I've given you. I'm counting on you, everyone."
That vote of confidence made them very happy. "You can count on us, Rimuru-sama!" they said in unison.
It was then that Diablo materialized in the room, with a look that suggested something had happened during his mission. He approached Rimuru and said, in a somber voice, "Rimuru-sama, I bring news... Unfortunately, Archbishop Reyhiem has been assassinated."
Without surprise, Rimuru replied, "I was expecting you, Diablo. So it has already happened... It was only a matter of time before he was eliminated. Can you think of who might have orchestrated all of this?"
Diablo, with a dark expression, answered, "I suspect it's the work of the Seven Luminaries, the ones Rimuru-sama spoke of."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was surprised. It was clear that Diablo was already aware of these events, which made the others wonder how close he had become to Rimuru in such a short time. But no one dared to speak on it.
Rimuru agreed, confirming Diablo's suspicions. He knew Diablo had more to say, so he asked, "You seem very concerned, Diablo. What else do you have to report?"
With some fear, Diablo replied, "According to Razen's report, there are rumors that the archbishop's assassination was caused by demonic schemes. In response, the Holy Knights from neighboring countries have begun marching towards Farmus. Their goal is..."
"To subjugate the demon who killed the archbishop," Souei interjected, interrupting Diablo. He then shared the information he had obtained, adding that the total number of knights heading towards Farmus exceeded thirty thousand.
Rimuru realized that events were unfolding as they had before. Knowing that Shion was about to say something reckless to Diablo, he quickly intervened and said, "There's no need to worry, Diablo. You are the right person for this mission, and this setback is something I am fully confident you can handle."
Diablo's happiness was indescribable. His demeanor changed completely, and he knelt before his master. "Then, I remain in charge of the mission. This servant will do the impossible to meet your expectations, my master."
With a smile, Rimuru said, "I know. Make sure to hold the true culprits accountable for all of this."
"Kufufufu... To have caused me such displeasure, I can't wait to interrogate them personally!" His words were light compared to what was truly going on in his mind, as Diablo intended to torture the culprits in the worst way possible.
Taking advantage of the moment, Benimaru said, "Everything seems to be going as predicted by Rimuru-sama, so it's safe to say we have a huge advantage over the enemy. If the number of soldiers allied with the enemy is thirty thousand, we will select our reinforcements based on that."
As Rimuru expected, Benimaru already knew what to do—after all, he was the nation's general for a reason. The mini-meeting continued without Rimuru's interference.
With Farmus' situation entrusted to Diablo, Rimuru thought about what to do with Hinata and the five knights who followed her. Initially, he thought he should wait and let things unfold naturally, but he realized he would be negligent. There was no guarantee things would follow the same path as before, and something tragic could happen if he just waited. Thus, Rimuru decided to act. One way or another, he had to protect Hinata from the assassination attempt.
But since it was Hinata, Rimuru thought of a way to both protect and tease her at the same time. That's when he looked at Shuna and asked, "Shuna-chan, is that request ready?"
Smiling sweetly, she replied, "Yes, Rimuru-sama. Inside your mansion, one of the best rooms, servants, and the finest meals have been prepared, especially those from your homeland, like sushi and tempura."
"That will do. Thanks for your hard work, Shuna-chan." Rimuru was strangely excited for some reason.
"Still, no one should stay there except Rimuru-sama. How important is this guest?" asked Shuna, sensing something was off in Rimuru's intentions.
"Well, this case is special. It's better for this person to be close to me. And it's a surprise—when the person arrives, I'll introduce them to all of you." Deep down, he had his own reasons for not revealing the identity of who he intended to host in his mansion.
When everything seemed settled, Souei revealed a smile that caught everyone's attention and said, "I've just received new information. As Lord Rimuru predicted, there was movement from the paladins, separate from Hinata's group, and they left directly from Ingracia."
With that information, Benimaru also smiled, saying, "So, the objective of this group is to incite a war between us and the captain of the Holy Knights, Hinata Sakaguchi. Very well, I already know how to deal with them."
With the information Rimuru had shared, it was easy for Benimaru to understand how they would move.
Even knowing that his subordinates would give their best effort, there was something Rimuru said in the previous timeline that he was about to say again.
"Benimaru, I know you'll handle this. But remember, we want reconciliation, so we need to try to keep the number of casualties among the Holy Knights as low as possible.
My goal was to have a simple conversation with Hinata, but since a fight between us and the church seems inevitable, we need to prioritize the lives of our companions. So, don't hesitate to do your best if the situation calls for it. I hope we can all overcome this obstacle this time."
"Yes, sir!" Everyone knelt and said in unison. Thus, the meeting in Rimuru's office came to an end.
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