From Type-Moon, the Wayfarer, Demon King Rimuru!

The two went back and forth at a rapid pace, but before long, Zelretch could no longer sit still.

"You have plans for the Magic Association?"

"Didn't I say that from the beginning?" Rimuru looked at Zelretch and said softly, "What I want most is precisely Lord Zelretch's neutral position."

"Or rather, the position between the Dead Apostles and the Magic Association that neither side can shake."

"Hey, hey, don't drag me into this."

As soon as he said that, Zelretch paused briefly, then smiled. "It wouldn't be any fun if you dragged me into your plans, and I won't play along either."

"I'm not planning to use you, Lord Zelretch." Rimuru shook his head. "If I remember correctly, after Her Highness's battle with the White Winged Duke a month ago prompted the Magic Association and the Church to intervene, you were the one who stepped in to mediate, right?"

"That's right."

"So, if the conflict between the Dead Apostles and the Magic Association were to escalate to a certain point, for the sake of keeping the Mystery hidden..."

"...I think I understand." Zelretch narrowed his eyes slightly. "Indeed, I would step in to mediate..."

"That would be enough, Lord Zelretch." Rimuru turned away. "At that point, what we need is an absolutely neutral negotiator."

"..." After a brief silence, Rimuru had somehow taken his place at the very center. He asked calmly, "Does anyone else have questions?"

"I do." A quiet voice came from one side. Rimuru looked over and saw that the Water Demon Sumire, who had been drunk the whole time, had somehow sobered up. In a clear, pleasant voice, she asked, "Everything you've said depends on us being willing to help you defend Cornwall."

"Even if you're confident you can convince the White Winged Duke, how will you convince the other Ancestors?"

At the end of the day, the White Winged Duke was the king of the Dead Apostles, not the king of the Ancestors.

The Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors might have their factions, but in terms of status, they were all equals— even the White Winged Duke was merely one of the three great Dead Apostles who had once led the Ancestors in their rebellion against the True Ancestors.

At this point, Sumire glanced seriously at Roa Valdamjong and the Black Winged Duke. "Even if I grant that you've already convinced two Ancestors, and add the Black Knight and Primate Murder, you still only have six. That's not even half, is it?"

"I'd be more than happy to serve Her Highness Altrouge." Zepia Eltnam Oberon smiled softly. "My life's ambition is to pursue the path of Magecraft, but occasionally experimenting with magic is also a fine choice."

"All right, seven," Sumire said, raising an eyebrow. "I have to admit, your argument is quite compelling, but I'm not optimistic about your plan actually working... Well, if it fails..."

The Water Demon Sumire was said to be an aquatic bloodsucking creature that could shed her skin... Rimuru stared at her lovely face and suddenly thought of a lamprey...

"I heard you're a pessimist."

"Mm? Yes, so I can't believe you'll succeed. I'm sorry."

"Mm... You don't need to apologize." Rimuru was at a loss for words. "Since you're a pessimist, I never planned to convince you in the first place."

"Eh? Does that mean I'm not even worth convincing?" Sumire's otherwise normal tone turned dejected.

"No, I just plan to convince Roa." Seeing that she looked on the verge of tears, Rimuru quickly backed away and explained helplessly.

To be honest, Rimuru could think of only a few Ancestors he'd go out of his way to prepare to persuade.

Pessimists like Sumire often didn't have much initiative of their own. Most of the time, they preferred to go with the flow—or had a strong-willed partner who could make decisions for them. Sumire's close friend was just such a person: the Ancestor Rita Rozay-en, a quintessential aristocratic young lady.

And Rimuru was even more confident about persuading Rita.

After all...

"Just think about it. In the land of the Dead Apostles, you could become a genuine member of the royal family. You wouldn't have to hide away in a fake castle anymore. You could openly pursue the art you love, keep humans you like, drink their blood to your heart's content, and torment and toy with them..."

"..." As Rimuru slowly spun his enticing tale, a light came into Rita Rozay-en's eyes. She fell into thought, prompting Sumire to sigh helplessly.

Nero Chaos smiled and watched coolly as Rimuru soon moved on to his next target—

Fim.

"Lord Fim..."

"Shh." Before Rimuru could finish, Fim quickly raised a hand to hush him, then lifted his wineglass with a smile. "There's no need for any more words, Lord Leviathan. I have no objections."

"Oh?"

"As for the details, I'd prefer to discuss them in private. Of course... I'm sure the White Knight will give me a satisfactory answer. Our previous dealings were quite pleasant, after all, weren't they?"

Rimuru paused slightly as he looked at the smiling, round Ancestor, then nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I look forward to speaking with you, Lord Fim."

As expected, he had recognized him.

Rimuru turned away, his eyelids drooping slightly as he thought... But the other man had no intention of exposing him. It seemed he wanted to work with him in some way. However... since he knew Rimuru's identity, he now held some leverage.

That wasn't good news for him.

Meanwhile, the pensive White Winged Duke watched Rimuru frantically gather votes one by one. His eyelid twitched, and at last he couldn't take it anymore. "That's enough, Leviathan!"

He had no doubt now that Rimuru had done his homework before coming. He even knew Rita's preferences and could easily promise her exactly what she wanted. If this kept up, what was the point of negotiating when he could simply buy everyone off?

What truly troubled him was that Rimuru promised benefits to everyone else, using inducements to win them over, but with him, he was relentlessly attacking him psychologically—and even trying to make him give up some of his own interests in exchange.

Clearly, Rimuru had him figured out. He knew how much the White Winged Duke needed the two factions to unite, and how deeply he yearned for a future for the Dead Apostles.

That left him in a difficult position. On one hand, he was indeed tempted. On the other, he didn't want Rimuru to get his way. No matter how he looked at the deal, he was the one getting the short end of it.

No, perhaps he wasn't losing out. But even if they both won, he might profit—yet Rimuru and Altrouge would obviously profit even more!

The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

But, damn it, what Rimuru said... made sense...

Something feels off, right? That means it's working.

Rimuru sneered inwardly, though his expression remained calm.

This should be in the bag, Rimuru thought. After all, during the first round, when the White Winged Duke couldn't find a flaw in his argument, Rimuru had known he would win.

Because, just as Rimuru had said, anything the White Winged Duke could do, Rimuru could do as well. That meant the White Winged Duke had no advantage. Yet that was itself a highly suggestive trap. If the White Winged Duke had experienced the dizzying verbal traps of the twenty-first century, he would have caught on quickly. Unfortunately, he hadn't.

So far, all he'd done was stop Rimuru from tempting Rita and the others in his faction. It hadn't occurred to him that he could promise them the very same things Rimuru could.

He hadn't done so at first, perhaps because he'd thought it beneath him, perhaps because he'd forgotten.

But now that the situation had come to a head, and the Ancestors at the meeting were overwhelmingly on Rimuru's side, his already wavering resolve was shaken even further. The influence of one's surroundings and the opinions of the people nearby could have a huge effect on one's convictions, even if those people knew nothing at all.

It was like playing chess while someone nearby kept running their mouth. Even if you knew they were a terrible player, when they said something that happened to match one of your own thoughts, you'd still feel that they made a lot of sense—even if it was a terrible move.

Finally, after the White Winged Duke had swept his gaze over everyone for the twelfth time, he sighed.

"It's getting late. If no one has any other topics to discuss, let's take a break for now."

"Is the White Winged Duke planning to suspend the negotiations?" Rimuru looked up and smiled.

"I need some time to think." The White Winged Duke rose to his feet and said calmly, "In truth, I never intended to submit to Altrouge again, and I never could."

"But... I'm quite interested in your plan. We can continue discussing cooperation."

"The Dead Apostles have only one king. That's not something we'll compromise on."

Rimuru smiled faintly.

"...I can yield, but I won't swear allegiance to her again, Leviathan." The White Winged Duke stared intently at Rimuru. "I may not understand your methods, but I know the best way to get someone to accept a condition is to first propose one they can't possibly accept."

"Negotiations have always worked that way, but I don't like playing such games. Leviathan, my bottom line is that I can recognize Altrouge's position and legitimacy, and acknowledge her authority as superior to mine, but..."

"I will never become her follower."

"Tch. So even if we cooperate, you'll challenge her position someday, right?" Rimuru understood what he meant. "You're only yielding for now, for the sake of the Dead Apostles' future?"

"What a noble, selfless display. No wonder they call you the White Winged Duke. Even when you yield, you manage to build up political capital for yourself..."

"Leviathan!" The White Winged Duke turned back and glared at him. "You'd better not test my limits... I'm doing this only because of my pride."

"Got it, got it—" Rimuru watched the man's imposing presence and smiled. "Then let me offer you some advice in return."

"If you still have ambitions of becoming the Dead Apostles' supreme leader, you'd be better off refusing me."

"Because as long as I'm here, once Altrouge takes the throne..."

"...her position will be unshakable." The White Winged Duke paused, then gave a cold snort and turned to leave. "Then, everyone, feel free to relax and enjoy yourselves. All of Berlin is your reception room tonight."

"Tch." After the White Winged Duke strode out, Altrouge laughed. "Looks like you really got under his skin."

But when she saw Rimuru looking over at her, she quickly put on a stern face and turned away with a huff.

The other Ancestors exchanged silent glances, then tacitly got to their feet and left. Some intended to give the matter serious thought; others planned to visit and talk with their peers.

But not one of them went to approach Rimuru in full view of the others.

The White Winged Duke's final words had clearly shown that he intended to yield, prioritizing the chance for the Dead Apostles to rise this time.

That meant... the world of the Dead Apostles...

Was about to be reshuffled.

Even those who rarely cared about politics had no choice but to pay attention and consider what they should do next.

Rimuru looked at the sulking Altrouge and suddenly spoke gently. "See? I'm not a liar."

"But I'll do everything I promised you."

"But you kept so much from me!" Altrouge ground her teeth. After learning there was no scabbard at the Einzbern estate, he'd clearly planned all of this, yet he'd never told her.

"Deception and concealment are two different things," Rimuru said, shaking his head. "Just like loyalty and promises."

"Altrouge, I'm not loyal to you, but when I make a promise, I always keep it..."

"Until death."

Alliance: The Beginning of Unity

Rimuru had a habit of holding on to human routines. For example, he brushed his teeth, washed up, and carefully scrubbed his face, even though it could never get dirty.

It was to make sure that if everything in this world vanished like a fleeting illusion, he wouldn't be unable to adapt to modern society. It was also to...

"To remind myself, constantly, that I'm human." Rimuru stood atop the castle, gazing at the brilliant lights of Berlin below. "That includes sleeping."

When he had finished, Rimuru quietly closed his eyes and said, "My senses will keep watch over our surroundings twenty-four hours a day. So, if you need me, just call me as always."

Altrouge looked at Rimuru, who had closed his eyes and immediately entered a state of light sleep, her expression complicated. She gave a soft snort, turned around, and vanished into the night.

This wasn't the first or second time. Every night, in the latter half of the night, Rimuru would habitually slip into a light sleep. Altrouge, who liked to roam at night, had asked him to change his schedule more than once, but his answer was always the same.

To remind himself that he was human. Human! Human!!!!

What was so great about being human?!

In the night, Altrouge suddenly kicked over a statue in the castle corridor, growing even more irritated.

Behind her, Sturt quietly lowered his head and exchanged a glance with the White Beast. Both sighed helplessly.

Above the castle, after Altrouge left, Rimuru slightly opened his golden eyes and said softly, "She's gone."

"Impressive." At Rimuru's quiet words, a blurry shadow in the darkness slowly took the shape of a familiar. "Even Altrouge didn't notice you could tell."

"You may not have fooled her." Rimuru turned to look at the familiar. With no life force and Magecraft to conceal its presence, it would indeed be hard to detect. But hiding beneath the moon from Altrouge and Fou would be difficult.

"Fou can smell any unusual traces of Magecraft. He noticed you a long time ago."

"Oh? You mean Primate Murder? Then why..."

"Because Her Highness and Fou both know that nothing can remain hidden from me within my domain." Rimuru turned around to face the familiar. Without realizing it, his voice had grown gentler. "And in that situation, as long as I don't react, they won't interfere."

Rimuru raised one hand and smiled. "I think that proves what kind of standing I have with Her Highness."

"So, if the White Winged Duke sent you to recruit me and make me betray Her Highness, we can end this conversation here." Rimuru gently shook his head. "Altrouge can give me what the White Winged Duke cannot."

Rimuru's words made the familiar fall silent for a moment. Then it said, "I thought you'd guess I was Fim."

Fim didn't ask how Rimuru had figured it out. Since the other man had already guessed, asking would only make him seem foolish and accomplish nothing but showing weakness.

"Fim has no reason to come to me in secret." Rimuru countered, "If you're not here to recruit me, what does the White Winged Duke want to discuss?"

"To talk about the scabbard..." The familiar sighed and began, but then abruptly fell silent. A moment later, the White Winged Duke's voice suddenly came through. "I'd like to sign an agreement with you, Leviathan."

"Oh? You came in person after all?" Rimuru lowered his eyes and jumped down from the castle spire. Since the other man was willing to show himself, Rimuru wouldn't keep up his lofty posture. "I'm more interested in the scabbard your subordinate just mentioned. What have you learned?"

"Nothing much. Just a few speculations and legends about it." The White Winged Duke spoke gravely. "Leviathan, if you agree to my terms, I can give you my answer on cooperation right now."

"What agreement? Let's hear it."

"After we unite, you must not influence any of the Ancestors or the Dead Apostles' kin, and you must not create any kin of your own."

"What do you mean?" Rimuru narrowed his eyes beneath his mask. "You want me to give up command of the troops?"

"'Command of the troops'? That's an old expression from the East, but if that's how you want to put it, fine." The White Winged Duke spoke softly. "You may have the right to give orders, but you may not hold any position of command, even during wartime."