"Tch." Rimuru looked as if he'd been angered into laughter. Staring at the red glow in the puppet's eyes, he said, "In that case, you might as well just make Altrouge bow down and submit to you."
"I never said Altrouge couldn't wield power, Leviathan."
"Huh?"
"I won't restrict Altrouge, and I can't, either." White Winged Duke's voice was deep. "My only demand is of you. For that, I can even promise that until the Dead Apostles' world has stabilized, I won't interfere with any plans you make—provided, of course, that they aren't mistakes."
After hearing White Winged Duke's words, Rimuru lowered his gaze slightly and fell into thought.
White Winged Duke's move left Rimuru somewhat confused. It didn't weaken Altrouge's side; if anything, it seemed to help Altrouge prevent Rimuru from deliberately overstepping his authority, which left him baffled.
It was difficult for Dead Apostles to overstep their authority, because they had no such thing as military command. Higher-ranking Dead Apostles had absolute power to suppress and command those below them, while those of equal rank obeyed the orders of their blood relatives first. It was an instinct rooted in their blood and their race.
So if Rimuru wanted absolute control, he would have to persuade or win over some of the forces under the other Ancestors, then carry out what was known as "conversion"—in other words, perform another embrace to replace their original blood relatives.
But if he accepted White Winged Duke's terms and made a contract, that would fundamentally eliminate his ability to replace their blood relatives. Even if many of his subordinates' forces were willing to follow him in the future, they would still be unable to defy White Winged Duke or the other Ancestors' orders.
This would do nothing for Rimuru, while barely affecting White Winged Duke and Altrouge's forces at all. It might even help Altrouge avoid being foolishly sidelined by Rimuru altogether?!
What was this supposed to mean? Did he not trust Rimuru?
But if he didn't trust him, why make command authority and following Rimuru's plans part of the terms?
Did he want Rimuru to obediently act as a strategist?
What was the point?
Rimuru thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Can you tell me why?"
Looking at White Winged Duke's puppet, he asked in confusion, "I don't think this means much to you. Even if you consider me your greatest future opponent, this contract won't really restrict me much. It'll only make Altrouge stronger."
"I admit that this agreement won't do much to your partnership with the Princess of the Black. But what about the Dead Apostles, and what about each of you individually?" White Winged Duke chuckled softly, then suddenly said, "This is actually an agreement I revised at the last minute."
"Leviathan, I originally did want to win you over and work with you alone, because I thought you and I were alike. But after seeing how Altrouge treated you, I changed my mind."
"As I thought..." Hearing this, Rimuru smiled instead. "Your subordinate initially said you wanted to discuss a scabbard. You probably guessed from that that the Princess of the Black and I weren't on good terms, right?"
White Winged Duke was an old monster who had lived for a very long time, and the longer one lived, the more one learned.
It was no secret that Rimuru was a mage forcibly recruited into Altrouge's service. His willingness to submit to her might also have been due to some kind of leverage or contract.
The legendary swords and scabbards of history included not only Avalon, which could heal anything, but also the holy sword that could cut through all contracts and slay every evil force, along with all sorts of other legends.
"Correct." White Winged Duke nodded, confirming Rimuru's guess, then slowly continued, "Leviathan, I have no interest in hiding anything. I set up this agreement because I accepted your partnership with the Princess of the Black."
"But acceptance doesn't mean I approve."
"Leviathan, you and I are destined to be opponents in the end. I don't believe someone like you has no ambition, and I certainly don't believe you'll be content to remain under Altrouge forever. I believe that one day, you'll make the same choice I did and choose to stand on your own."
"Even if you and Altrouge unite against a common enemy, you'll eventually part ways."
"But everyone has to take responsibility for their choices. So, since you keep saying that my choice was wrong, if one day you truly do what I think you'll do and make the same choice I did—"
"Then you'll have to bear the consequences. If you want to use your partnership with the Princess of the Black to pressure me into submission, you'll have to sign this agreement!"
White Winged Duke's voice was deep and measured. When he finished, he laughed heartily. "And then, even if I've already lost, I'll still leave you with trouble to deal with."
"..." White Winged Duke's explanation left Rimuru silent for a moment. After a long pause, he chuckled softly. "I can't believe you had the nerve to say that with such confidence."
"Is it true that the longer any creature lives, the more shameless it gets?"
"Hahahaha! Maybe." Seeing Rimuru shake his head helplessly, White Winged Duke laughed in delight. Then he suddenly turned serious. "Actually, that's not the only reason. More than anything, I want to provide the Dead Apostles with some safeguards."
"I don't believe you have no ambition, and that's precisely why I'm even more worried that I can't see any in you."
"If you truly have none, that's one thing. But I'd rather believe you're hiding it more deeply."
"..." As expected of an old-timer.
He'd seen right through him. Still, no matter what he thought, he'd never guess Rimuru was doing this for the sake of humanity.
Rimuru's lips curled slightly. "So you trust Altrouge more than me."
"Yes." White Winged Duke's familiar slowly approached the edge of the castle, exuding a kingly presence as if White Winged Duke himself were there. It rested a hand on the ramparts. "Though I hate to admit it, that child really has grown a lot, just as you said. Perhaps she truly has taken on the will to protect the Dead Apostles."
"If I really lose, the future of the Dead Apostles... shouldn't fall into your hands."
The puppet's head turned, and yet Rimuru seemed to see White Winged Duke's smiling, resolute face on its mechanical features. "Leviathan, that child trusts you because she doesn't know how frightening you are."
"You certainly think highly of me." Rimuru raised an eyebrow. "But that's true, too. If I hadn't defeated you, I wouldn't be much of a threat. But if I did defeat you, that would prove how terrifying I am, so you'd be wise to prepare in advance. You've certainly planned this well."
"Looking at it that way, you're not going to lose."
"Hmph. But didn't I just lose?" White Winged Duke slowly turned around. The light inside the puppet grew dimmer, a sign that he was about to cut off the supply of magical energy. "Give me your answer tomorrow."
"Give you my answer tomorrow..." Looking at the dimming puppet, Rimuru shook his head helplessly. "There's no need to wait until tomorrow. I can agree right now."
"Oh?" The red glow in the puppet's eyes suddenly intensified as White Winged Duke returned. "You don't want to think it over?"
"No need." Rimuru smiled and spoke without hesitation. "You keep saying I have ambition. In the end, ambition is nothing more than a goal and the will to pursue it."
"Altrouge's will is to protect the Dead Apostles. But have you ever considered this?"
"Perhaps my will is to be there for Altrouge."
"To be there for Altrouge?"
"Yeah. There's a word among humans: love. What makes you so sure I'm not willingly playing the lovesick puppy because I'm in love with Altrouge?"
"...A lovesick puppy?" White Winged Duke repeated the phrase, unable to understand it. He didn't know what a lovesick puppy was, but he did understand Rimuru's general meaning. "That's not a bad explanation."
"Then I look forward to seeing how far your love for Altrouge will take you, Leviathan."
"Ah, that old fox really is hard to fool."
Looking at the puppet that had suddenly run out of magical energy, Rimuru tilted his head toward the sky. "If I'd said that to that little Altrouge, she probably would've believed it right away out of sheer self-love."
"Using a little romantic charm isn't out of the question."
"Tch. If you're going to live off someone, just admit it. Why call it romantic charm..." Rimuru shook his head helplessly, casually pushed the puppet aside, and looked toward Berlin in the night. "I've already got more than enough messy entanglements. I don't need any more."
Suddenly, as if he'd noticed something, he pulled the puppet back out and examined it closely. "Not bad. So no matter what kind of company it is, they all like to leave a backdoor in the things they make?"
This was a Concealment Puppet, probably made to fool Primate Murder's unique perception of life and Altrouge's terrifying Instinct. But it hadn't fooled either of them... and on top of that, someone had set White Winged Duke up!
Rimuru used Decomposition Magecraft to take the puppet apart completely and examined the core, which had Concealment Magecraft and Spiritual Evocation Magecraft engraved into it. The reason White Winged Duke had been able to speak as if he were physically present was that it used some of the knowledge and techniques from the Department of Spiritual Evocation, allowing the operator's consciousness to control it as though they were there in person.
But Rimuru keenly noticed something amiss.
"F.M.?" Rimuru looked at the mark engraved on the core and quickly realized it was Fim's symbol. That wasn't unusual. Puppeteers often marked the toys they made. The problem was that the mark itself was a spell—
A small Eavesdropping Magecraft spell that transmitted sound elsewhere in real time.
"Tch, Fim. I wondered why you hadn't come to see me..." Rimuru narrowed his eyes. "So you knew I had a guest."
"Well, I know you can hear me. Are you coming to see me, or... should I come and fetch you?"
### M78 Nebula 756365104
P.S. The title was originally supposed to be "Starting from Type-Moon"! Damn, the title got censored on that site!
Author's Note—Three Updates Today (12,000 Words)
Author's Note:
It's finally going up for sale! It's not my first time, but it is my first time on Ciweimao!!
At 220,000 words, I guess this is a pretty late launch. But it's also because the story takes its time getting going, so this was a trade-off I chose to make.
I know a lot of readers don't like the Dead Apostle and mage arc and want to see the Grail... All I can say is that I'll try to speed things up. But to keep the story complete and logical, I still have to write the outline and the connecting threads.
This book is a trial run after coming over from Qidian. The writer friends here kept telling me the environment on Cat was great, the editors were great, and the readers were great too. Though the results haven't been ideal—not even as good as my other book on Qidian—it was within expectations. My writing style really does stand out from the crowd—
Other books have much more interesting openings than mine. I keep seeing all kinds of great jokes and don't even want to write; I just want to keep reading.
But this is my style, so I can only write it as a niche book, haha! Still, I'll work hard to learn and write well. Maybe... just maybe, I won't die out? Right?
All right, enough about the downsides. Let's talk about the advantages.
First, the author won't disappear! Four thousand words a day, with extra updates depending on how things go!
Second, since I came over from Qidian, I'm used to writing long stories—two million words at a minimum. I don't know if that's an advantage, QAQ—and I also pay attention to the outline and the story's overall structure. I'd love to say the later parts won't fall apart, but... given that this is a crossover story... yeah, I'm falling apart.
And last! This book has magic. Readers who read it will become super handsome and super rich—at the cost of the author never finding a boyfriend in this lifetime!
That's it... Also, please buy the first chapter after it goes on sale!
I heard it's traditional on Ciweimao to release a huge batch of updates when a book goes on sale, but I've only got a few chapters saved up... So, hehe... just a few. Twelve thousand words should count as six updates, right?
I'm still asking you to buy the first chapter. Please save this poor kid.
And one more thing about word count: My friends recommended that I use 2,000-word chapters on the first day, since 4,000-word chapters might make some... well, some readers think my chapters cost more. But I'm really used to writing 4,000 words per chapter. Can you imagine how terrifying it is to have to rack your brains to find a place to break things up when your story's chapters all flow in 4,000-word chunks?!
My obsessive-compulsive disorder is killing me.
So I've decided to give in to it and stick with 4,000 words per chapter!!!
I'm getting on my knees to beg you 2,000-word-chapter readers, QAQ.
Please buy the first chapter! That really is the most important thing!
Please!!!
This really matters to me!!
To be honest, I don't want to be a playboy.
After saying that, Rimuru looked into the distance again. As he waited patiently, with nothing else to do, he instinctively began searching for Altrouge.
It wasn't until five minutes later that he frowned slightly and looked back at the mark in his hand. Great Sage's perception couldn't be wrong, which meant...
Just as Rimuru was getting a little annoyed, a scarlet energy source suddenly appeared in his perception, coming from the passage leading to the lower level of the castle.
Only then did Rimuru look at the mark in his hand in surprise. He stared at it for a long while. "You've got to be kidding me... You just walked here?"
"An evening stroll is a good habit." Fim sauntered out through the castle doors. With a casual point, the mark in Rimuru's hand turned into dull, lifeless material and began to scatter in the wind. "Well, now there's no evidence. Haha."
"I don't think White Winged Duke or I care about evidence." Rimuru tilted his head and applied pressure.
"I didn't hear a thing." Fim hurriedly shook his head, then smiled. "All right, Leviathan. From the first time I saw you, I could tell you were one of my kind."
"You and I are both profit-driven. In finance, undercutting each other and competing is always the worst strategy. Joining forces to build a technological barrier and monopolize the market is a win-win deal, wouldn't you say?"
"True." Rimuru nodded, understanding what he meant.
Fim knew the crucial fact that Rimuru was the Rimuru of the Clock Tower, while Rimuru had caught Fim deliberately eavesdropping on White Winged Duke's conversation. In this situation, exposing each other's secrets would only leave them both worse off. Using those secrets as leverage to cooperate was the right choice.
In fact, Rimuru even suspected that Fim had deliberately let him catch on to the eavesdropping. That way, they could get off to the best possible start as partners. Otherwise, with Fim being the only one who knew Rimuru's secret, Rimuru would naturally be on guard against him and might even see him as a threat.
"What do you want?" Thinking of this, Rimuru smiled. Strictly speaking, Fim was the hardest of all the Dead Apostles to deal with, because he was also well versed in some of the practical experience and theories that had since been developed by modern society. They might not be as advanced as those of later generations, but he was indeed the most powerful business tycoon in the world at the moment.
Yet for some reason, Rimuru found him the easiest to talk to.
Fim had already publicly declared his support for Rimuru at the meeting. That meant that once it was over, it was Rimuru's turn to pay him back.
"I'm a businessman, and businessmen like money, of course." Fim smiled as well. "If the world of the Dead Apostles really comes into being, I want my business empire to keep shining."
"Even if you don't come to me, no Dead Apostle would dare compete with an Ancestor for business."
"But there's still you." Fim narrowed his eyes, his smile making him look just like a chubby, benevolent Buddha. "If I'm not mistaken, you'd already planned to work with the Clock Tower using another identity, right?"
"If a war drags on in a stalemate, there'll inevitably be a compromise." Rimuru nodded and spoke softly. "It's impossible to win outright, but as long as we don't lose, a nation of Dead Apostles is bound to emerge."
"Then there'll inevitably be negotiations and an exchange of interests. So, which part are you interested in?"
"I wouldn't say I'm particularly interested in anything." Fim chuckled. "I just think I can contribute. I have good relations with the financial groups in the human world, and even a nation of Dead Apostles will need its economy to circulate, won't it?"
"Tch, you want to take over all trade between the Dead Apostles and the outside world?"
"Dead Apostles need human blood, and the Magic Association can't handle that." Fim turned around and chuckled. "But I can."
"War criminals in the human world, destitute vagrants, even the corpses of people who die in hospitals."
Fim spoke coolly. "Under capitalism, they're all mine."
"I can handle that too." Rimuru raised an eyebrow—
"I know." Fim nodded. "Although you were selling off your assets not long ago, I believe in your abilities. That's why I came to you."
"Cooperation for mutual benefit is all the rage these days, right?"
"We'll make good friends, Rimuru."
"Indeed." After thinking it over for a while, Rimuru smiled softly. "Let's work together."
Before you continue