Besides, even if there was no other way, as a Dead Apostle, he had absolute command over those beneath him. If all else failed, he could just swallow them back up one by one.
Rimuru closed his eyes, sensing the growing number of sources of magical energy and the air of madness throughout Cornwall. He smiled faintly and reached out to the Duke of Cornwall, whose face had grown increasingly pale. "Then tell me your answer, Your Grace."
"Are you willing to return to the embrace of... mystery, and fight for me?"
"You've violated the Magic Association's greatest taboo." High above the distant night, Altrouge swung her two snow-white legs atop a water tower and looked at Rimuru, who was quietly dozing beside her. "You're the strangest magus I've ever met."
"The traditional magi are old." At that, Rimuru opened his eyes, his expression calm. "I used to think I'd have to become a Lord before I could make any kind of impact on this world, but you gave me that opportunity ahead of time."
Though he didn't care about this world, the elite education he'd received in his previous life had long since made him the sort of person who couldn't stand being left on the sidelines, no matter what he was doing or where he was. Since he could take part in the changes of this era with little effort, he didn't mind giving them a small push.
"Doing this will make every magus your enemy. It's the same as flipping over the table." Altrouge turned to him, her lovely eyes shifting as she studied him. "The rules countless magi have established over thousands of years aren't so easy to break."
"That's because weak magi don't have the right, while powerful magi have even less desire to break them." In response to Altrouge's curiosity, Rimuru was unusually patient. Perhaps because it was a theory from his previous life, and, for once, someone was taking it seriously instead of treating it as heresy, he found himself wanting to discuss these things with someone.
"Most magi pursue Akasha itself. Once they grow powerful, they don't want to concern themselves with anything else. As for beings like the White Winged Duke... they have the ambition, but not the nerve." Rimuru chuckled, his eyes flashing with contempt for the traditional magi of this world and a rebellious spirit. "This world needs change, and sooner or later, it will face it."
There was another reason he didn't mention: if humanity wanted to avoid its fate of extinction, it had to save itself instead of relying on other beings.
And self-preservation... Phantasmal Species and Dead Apostles were powerful because they inevitably came into contact with mystery as soon as they were born. Their rarity did make each individual powerful, but... they'd also achieved strength across the board as a whole, rather than scheming against one another like infighting siblings.
The Human Order had conquered the world through sheer numbers, but those same numbers made people's hearts impossible to predict, creating the most complicated social relations. Rimuru had no way to change those relations, much less unite all of humanity behind a common interest.
But!
If a sufficiently powerful faction stood up, one capable of crushing the others... at the very least, it could set an example, right?
Rimuru thought to himself that, while he truly didn't care about this world, he couldn't help thinking of Liddell, Eler, and the Director's final sigh.
If he could, he felt he might try his best... no, give it everything he had... and make an attempt.
At the very least, he didn't want to go home only to end up with another regret, did he?
At that moment, Rimuru shook off his languor and stretched. The sharp resolve in his eyes made Altrouge pause before she suddenly laughed softly and stopped asking questions. Instead, she decided to watch in silence.
At least her choice didn't seem to have been wrong. He might be crazy, overly rebellious, or wildly ambitious, but he was interesting.
Life wouldn't be boring now, she thought, lowering her eyelids. For the first time, her voice softened as she looked at the knight before her, whose thoughts even she couldn't fathom, and asked, "Are you loyal to me now?"
"Of course." Rimuru answered without hesitation. "As long as you can help me, as long as you can keep me in check, I'll be loyal to you."
To Rimuru, making a deal with the tiger—or submitting for a short time—was nothing to be ashamed of. But—
"What if I can't keep you in check?" Altrouge was surprised by his audacity and asked with interest, "Will you eat me? Like Vissera?"
"What do you think?"
"Hmm... then I'll look forward to it." Altrouge opened her eyes and looked toward Cornwall. A blood-red moon shone in the sky there. "Let's see whether you eat me, or... I eat you."
Beneath the vast night sky, the Duke finally gave the order, rejecting the commands of the Magic Association and the Church.
He abandoned the light and embraced the darkness, becoming the first to publicly announce that he was joining the Dead Apostle faction and accepting Altrouge's protection. The world was shaken.
Altrouge, the elusive Blood Princess, had announced her own territory for the first time. It wasn't a country or a major city.
It was an obscure little county in the countryside. Yet the significance of the move made everyone's hearts sink, while the Dead Apostles grew feverishly excited.
The magi and Executors looked grim as they read the report. The world of mystery was in turmoil once more, and a great war was about to begin. The Church and the Magic Association wouldn't allow a second White Winged Duke to rise, much less permit an actual city of Dead Apostles to come into existence!
Cornwall was no longer just a dispute over the scabbard. It had to be destroyed. Justice would be served!
And none of this could be separated from the newly emerged White Knight!
In the night, a girl wearing ten ornate rings stepped slowly into the city, which had quietly undergone a transformation. She looked up at the dusky red sky and frowned, then covered her nose in disgust. "How awful. The smell of Dead Apostles is everywhere..."
"But if I'm openly challenging the authority of every magus in the world, I'll have to keep my identity hidden even more carefully. A code name alone won't do. I need a name, too."
"Then call yourself Leviathan." At that, the Princess of the Black smiled slyly, stopped swinging her legs, and stood up to look in a certain direction. "White Knight Leviathan. Not bad, right?"
"...It's all right, I guess. What's up?"
"Have you heard of the Burial Agency?" Altrouge pointed into the night and suddenly smiled. "Your first challenge to the establishment has arrived. If I'm not mistaken, our old friend—the righteous enforcer, one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors—has already arrived."
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P.S. There's honestly not much to write about the Clock Tower in the early part of the story. The political maneuvering and the Grand Council are emphasized in the outline during the scramble for benefits after the Holy Grail War, so if you're looking forward to that, please wait a little longer w. Why not support me in the meantime to give me more motivation to write? Sob, sob.
Also, the duplicate in Chapter Eighteen has been fixed. Just download it again to refresh the cache. It was still an issue with scheduled posting. If a reader hadn't complained, I wouldn't even have noticed... I'm really sorry. From now on, I'll check every day to make sure my posts went out correctly.
Chapter 040: You're All My Little... Little Wings?!
"Teacher... Teacher..." In Rimuru's lounge, Eler's ahoge bounced as she tugged desperately at the hem of his clothes, trying to make him look at her instead of the documents in his hands, even for just a moment.
After a while, Rimuru finally looked up helplessly. With a wave of his hand, he lifted Eler onto the desk in a stream of water. He looked at her with amusement. "You have to tell me what you want. Don't just tug on my clothes."
"Um..." Eler clasped her hands behind her back and fidgeted. "Well... I heard..."
"I heard... the Hunting Garden has been rebuilt!"
"..." Rimuru's mouth twitched. He casually put her back down. "Not happening."
"Ugh!! Then... Teacher, come play with me!"
"That, I can do." Rimuru nodded slightly. Eler's eyes lit up. Just as Liddell had said, when you wanted to ask someone for something, you had to make a request they couldn't accept first. Then the next request would seem easy, and they'd agree without a fuss!
"But have you finished your homework for this week, Eler?" Rimuru thought for a while as he signed one proof of ownership after another on the desk. From now on, none of these assets would have anything to do with him or the Entpeste family. He'd also have a substantial sum of money at his disposal. Add the fees from the Magecraft patents he'd developed using his memories... and it should be enough to unleash a financial storm in the late eighties, shouldn't it?
"Home... homework?" Eler's ahoge shot up in alarm, then drooped right away. Her little face crumpled, and she tilted her head, trying to get by on cuteness. "What... homework?"
"Hmm... you can play dumb if you want, but if you haven't finished your homework, you'll have to stay in the Clock Tower for the next month." Rimuru chuckled and tapped her on the head. He picked up the documents and stood. "All right, go find your big sister Liddell. I still have some things to—"
"Rimuru!!!"
Before Rimuru could finish speaking, a savage roar broke through the Clock Tower's soundproofing barrier. Liddell burst in, fuming, and the little one shrank back in fright before taking the opportunity to burrow into Rimuru's arms, where she refused to leave.
"..." Rimuru looked helplessly at the little one, who was frantically pushing her head against his chest and pretending to be scared. Then he looked up. "You seem pretty angry, Liddell."
At that moment, Liddell wore a dark expression. Her tightly furrowed brows lent her delicate face a few traces of murderous intent. Her chest rose and fell dramatically, making her already rather flat chest even more noticeable. She'd clearly frozen when she saw Eler there, then taken a deep breath and gritted out every word through clenched teeth. "Was this your doing?!"
"Yes." Rimuru blinked, then suddenly chuckled and added, "If you mean Cornwall."
"I knew it..."
Only someone as outrageous as him could have done something like that. Ever since childhood, his thoughts had been full of what he called rebellion—or what could also be called foresight—
"So the White Knight really is..."
"It's me." Rimuru blinked again. He didn't bother to hide it, since he couldn't.
"You suddenly know so much. Looks like you held another Lord meeting behind my back... Well, next time, don't come straight to me in a fury after the meeting. People might notice."
"I don't need you to tell me that." Liddell's brows twitched in anger. "There wasn't a Lord meeting. The Director was the one who told me about this."
"The Director?" Rimuru looked mildly surprised.
"Yes. You should be honored, Rimuru." Liddell took a step forward, furious, and mocked him sarcastically. "Because of you, the Grand Resolution is going to be held."
If a Lord meeting was a gathering within the Clock Tower to divide up interests and give the various Lords a chance to fight among themselves, then the Grand Resolution was the most important, highest-priority meeting in the Magic Association, even in the entire world of Magecraft. Initiated by the Magic Association, it was a special meeting held only for a specific matter, once the participating factions had given their approval.
Under the tacit understanding governing the Grand Resolution, the meeting's agenda took priority over everything else. Personal grudges and opposing positions alike could be set aside temporarily. In other words, even a magus designated for sealing could attend after accepting an invitation without worrying about being attacked along the way. As a rule, those who accepted an invitation also had a compelling reason to be there.
Otherwise, they might find the entire world of Magecraft turning against them. Even so, as the most prosperous of the three major organizations within the Magic Association, the Clock Tower held considerable influence through the Twelve Lords, as well as numerous seats on the council.
In other words, if the Twelve Lords reached a consensus and stood united, they could more or less decide the outcome of the Grand Resolution. Once they reached an agreement, they were like one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, with an almost absolute veto.
So Rimuru didn't care in the slightest.
"It's probably about how to deal with Cornwall. They might even work with the Church, so they've called a Grand Resolution over it." Rimuru lowered his eyes slightly. The little one in his arms had stopped wriggling. Now she watched with bright, wide eyes, openly eavesdropping.
"You make it sound so simple!" Seeing Rimuru's indifferent expression, Liddell was nearly furious. Yet though her tone grew harsher, she couldn't hide her deep concern. "You've been too conspicuous, Rimuru. You can change your form, so why did you have to use your real appearance when you did those things—"
"Did someone suspect me so quickly?" Rimuru blinked, then broke into a smile. "I thought it would take a while... So does that mean I'll be invited?"
"No." Liddell shook her head. "The Director asked me to warn you because the agenda doesn't actually have any evidence against you. For now, it's only an investigation. If they find anything, then they'll invite you for questioning... Rimuru, you..."
"It's all right, Liddell." Rimuru shook his head slightly, then approached her and passed Eler, who looked a little bewildered, from his arms into hers. "You know I always have a plan..."
"Actually, when you burst in, I thought you'd ask why I sided with the Princess of the Black. Everyone who saw me leave the Clock Tower that day has disappeared. You took care of them, didn't you?"
Rimuru moved closer to Liddell, and she suddenly felt flustered for some reason. "W-why?"
She didn't answer his question, but Rimuru could clearly see the confirmation in her eyes. Suddenly, he felt at ease, as if his sense of unfamiliarity with this world had faded away. In this world, too, there were people he could call family, watching over him with concern and worrying about him.
"You don't need to worry so much about me. Of all of us, you're the easiest for people to see through, and the least likely to think things through... You've always been like that, haven't you?" Rimuru gently took one of Liddell's arms and softly rolled up her sleeve. Her fair arm was covered in bite marks and wounds.
During the half-month Rimuru had spent fleeing, he'd needed blood every two days to suppress his Blood-Sucking Impulse. He had no idea how many times he'd hurt Liddell. "I sided with the Princess of the Black because she can help me get the greatest benefits at the lowest cost right now. But more importantly..."
He stroked her wounds, ignoring how her cheeks grew redder and redder, and smiled as he met her eyes. "I don't want to hurt you anymore, Liddell."
Even if it only meant suppressing the Blood-Sucking Impulse a day sooner, that was still reason enough for him to hope, to make concessions, and to pay a price.
Rimuru pressed a finger to Liddell's lips. After hesitating for a moment, he leaned in to give her a light kiss through his finger, as delicate as a brush of a dragonfly's wings.
He was unwilling to reveal his feelings, but that didn't mean he was truly unaware of Liddell's and Aoko Aozaki's acquaintance's affection for him.
It was just that he felt like duckweed, unable to promise them security or a lifetime of happiness. Perhaps others would call that melodramatic, but Rimuru felt that if the other person didn't give their heart, then he could act without any reservations. In his previous life, hadn't he roamed among the Huaye and been called a playboy? But... if a girl who gave him her whole heart knew how things would end and he still chose to hurt her, Rimuru felt... that wouldn't just make him a playboy. It would make him scum.
He loved this group of little wings, too. Though Rimuru didn't know whether what he felt for Liddell and Aoko Aozaki's acquaintance was love, friendship, or family affection, he cherished them—and that was exactly why he didn't want to hurt them.
"Ri... Rimu... ru..."
Liddell felt her heart suddenly race, thump after uncontrolled thump. She watched Rimuru draw closer and closer, so nervous she'd begun to sweat.
But just then, a little hand suddenly appeared and smacked against Liddell's face. A small head popped up between them, and—smack!—Rimuru's light kiss landed squarely on Eler's little cheek!
Liddell: "???"
"Yay!" Eler excitedly turned around and smacked another kiss onto the bewildered faces of Rimuru and Liddell. She raised her hands in delight, then landed on the floor with a slap and pattered over to the desk. Peeking out from behind it, she blinked and said, "It happened! The scene Big Sister Aoko said would happen! Um, what was I supposed to say at a time like this..."
"Um, right!"
"Such a sleazeball!!"
"...A!O!K!O! A!O!Z!A!K!I!!" Rimuru froze for a moment, then his face darkened. Without another word, he grabbed Eler, who kicked all four legs wildly, and snarled, "Stop hanging around with her from now on!!"
Teaching my apprentice bad habits and blowing up the Hunting Garden wasn't enough... What other nonsense had she taught her?!!!
A day earlier—the night was deep.
Merem Solomon.
The Fifth of the Burial Agency, and the Twentieth of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. He was a "Child of God" who usually went about in the guise of a priest, but whenever he faced an exorcist or anything related to mystery, he used his true form: that of a twelve-year-old boy.
Time and information were always crossing paths. When Merem Solomon set foot in Cornwall, it happened to be the first night after Rimuru had finished his work and turned the Duke of Cornwall. The incident hadn't yet begun to make waves, and Merem Solomon hadn't received any orders from elsewhere. So, though he found the land's countless Dead Apostles distasteful, he didn't attack them. Instead, he first set out to investigate the "scabbard" that interested him.
Here, it was worth mentioning that, though the Princess of the Black teased Merem Solomon as the righteous enforcer among the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, that was only because he had joined the Burial Agency and had never gotten along with the Princess of the Black's faction.
In truth, Merem Solomon had nothing whatsoever to do with justice. He could even be called evil, because his only obsession was his admiration for and infatuation with Crimson Moon, who had turned him into a Dead Apostle and saved him. Yet after Crimson Moon's passing, he remained a steadfast supporter of Arcueid, who had inherited Crimson Moon's power. But the Millennium Princess fell asleep, and he lost his obsession once again. He withdrew from the world and began pursuing antiques and all kinds of treasures to collect.
For this reason, he'd even joined the Burial Agency and hunted his own kind, all for the sake of the agency's rumored treasure.
Prompted by the Princess of the Black, Rimuru quickly discovered Merem Solomon's whereabouts. When the two petite figures met in the night and Merem Solomon's azure eyes reflected those golden eyes, they shared a long, unspoken silence. Neither made a move.
"He doesn't smell like a Dead Apostle. He gives off a feeling similar to yours instead." Merem Solomon stared at the other person. As his lips moved, his left hand began to speak in reply. "He definitely smells like a Phantasmal Species. He seems to be the same kind as the White Beast."
"That's not good news." Merem Solomon thought to himself. "He also has the White Beast's aura. It looks like the Princess of the Black is nearby, too."
But when he said this, no voice answered. At some point, his left arm had been severed, and a beautiful white rat with crimson eyes had climbed onto his shoulder. "There's no need to be afraid if we fight. If we all show ourselves, we might still stand a chance."
"Four against four?" Merem Solomon fell silent for a moment, then gently shook his head and looked away of his own accord. The Four Great Beasts could indeed go one-on-one against an ordinary member of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, but that didn't include the Princess of the Black, or that... White Knight.
For some reason, he had a premonition that the masked youth staring at him was dangerous. Extremely dangerous. It wasn't a matter of how strong he was; rather... it felt as if the boy could make his companions leave him for good. He didn't want to risk it on a hunch like that.
Meanwhile—
"Merem Solomon..." Rimuru stared at this enemy, searching through his information. "He's talking to someone."
Ah, these must be the foundation of his abilities: the Four Limbs, the Four Great Beasts.
Merem Solomon was a Child of God whose limbs had been severed. After Crimson Moon saved him, he could use his imagination to create the nonexistent Phantasmal Species known as the Four Great Beasts, and use them as limbs—
"The Four Great Beasts?" Rimuru closed his eyes and thought for a while. Then he glanced at the rat on Merem Solomon's shoulder, a hint of amusement entering his eyes. "That must be the Rat King, then. It's quite pretty."
"The Rat King can take on human form. Its fighting strength is almost... but it can gather information from its friends hiding in all kinds of nooks and crannies and survey the terrain."
But you have me.
"I know..." Rimuru chuckled. "The King of the Continent specializes in overwhelming assaults, like a monster. The King of the Sky is a single-use bomber, vanishing after one attack, more like a large-scale spell. And Clever Girl is just a giant soldier, a walking fortress. None of them seem particularly useful against me. The main problem is that they're extremely good at large-scale destruction. This city can't be destroyed before it's even made its debut."
Before you continue