Traveler Starting from Type-Moon, Demon Lord Rimuru! Chapter 5

The two of them fell into a mysterious silence after their conversation ended. They walked through the silent, interconnected corridors that spanned across nations until they pushed open the final, somewhat hollow-looking door. The afternoon sunlight from the tail end of January warmed Rimuru—to be honest, if he had been somewhat familiar with the teaching building where the basic disciplines and lecturers were stationed, the scenery that followed was truly foreign to him.

After all, the Clock Tower possessed a total of seventy-five large classrooms equivalent to an Academic City, and nearly half of them belonged to the headquarters, which was the British Museum itself. Behind this massive barrier, the headquarters building for all basic disciplines of the First Department took the lead, containing almost the museum itself. It was the teaching facility most accessible to mages and held the largest number of students, which resulted in Rimuru, as a lecturer of basic disciplines, having almost no reason to venture deeper.

In particular, the departments belonging to the Three Great Families, such as the Department of Creation, could be considered the most internal existences, holding a status similar to that of the modern Academy of Sciences.

However, having said that, it was actually because the former Rimuru had been unwilling to involve himself too much. According to the rules of the Clock Tower, as long as one was a student or teacher of the Clock Tower, they possessed the right to step into any large classroom within the institution.

Even if it were just for an afternoon stroll, you could run into the Director's office, provided you had the guts to do so...

After stepping out of the basic discipline classroom, he was greeted by a lush green lawn under a clear blue sky. Students who had finished their afternoon sessions were already scattering in twos and threes, strolling through this area that resembled a playground. This sparked a sense of extreme familiarity in Rimuru's mind. If he remembered correctly...

He glanced slightly toward a certain large tree. That... seemed to be the place where Emiya Shirou and Tohsaka Rin would sleep during their lunch breaks in the future... right?

Could this be considered a pilgrimage to a holy site?

The plaza, filled with a fresh atmosphere, was actually a very large, open area. Aside from being intersected by a few small, modernized shopping centers, it was surrounded by several continuous regions. Overall, rather than a plaza for students to move about freely, it was more like a massive transportation hub covered in natural greenery. It connected almost all the cities within the British Museum area and perfectly bypassed the places that intersected with the surface world.

"The entire British Museum area is divided into five parts, each controlled by the Three Great Families and the Director." Liddell noticed Rimuru's unfamiliarity with the environment and took the initiative to explain softly, as in her view, Rimuru would inevitably come to understand these things in the future.

"Although there are cities directly under the Director's command, the place we are currently heading to is the Department of Law, because the Lord of Barthomeloi is currently serving as the assistant to the Director of the Clock Tower—" Having said this, Liddell paused for a moment and added, "Though you should probably go to... well, the Director's office later."

"Hmm..." Rimuru wasn't overly surprised. Liddell had mentioned more than once yesterday that the Director wanted to see him. Although he hadn't expected it to be so soon, he was somewhat mentally prepared.

Compared to the massive academic cities hidden beneath the British Museum of the surface world, Rimuru was actually more interested in the fifth major area that Liddell had never mentioned: the "Spirit Tomb Albion" located beneath London. However, it was clearly not the time for him to come into contact with such things. After all, even for some professors, their understanding of Albion was limited to the surface of the first layer, the Mining City, and they remained ignorant of the secrets within.

The legendary land of fairies, the entrance connecting to the Reverse Side of the World—could it be compared to an alternate dimension?

After following Liddell on a near-complete tour of the entire Clock Tower, and with the appointed time approaching, Liddell hurriedly led Rimuru back the way they came, running back to the large classroom less than two kilometers away from the basic disciplines department—

"So, the Department of Law was right next door, yet you took me on a full lap, right?"

Rimuru looked up at the massive building, decorated with dark gold patterns like a majestic lion. Its aura of dignity and solemnity was highlighted by the archaic, slightly angular trapezoidal structure, which was quite in line with the usual style of the Barthomeloi lineage.

"I can understand your desire to look out for me... but being late isn't exactly good for your image as a Lord, is it...?"

He looked at Liddell, who wore an indifferent expression, and let out a helpless sigh.

"What does that matter..." Liddell clearly didn't care about the word "image," rolling her eyes. If it weren't for the fact that Achelotte desperately needed a powerful presence to manifest the status of the Twelve Noble Families, she might still be happily holding concerts all over the country!

If it weren't for being forced into it, who would be willing to come here to be some lousy teacher?

That's right! She, Liddell, was a super idol!

"Is it really okay for me to go in with you?"

Looking at the door covered in magical defensive mechanisms, Rimuru felt uncharacteristically nervous. Even though his past life had conditioned him to remain composed in front of most major capital moguls, he still felt uneasy facing this group of people who could be called the pinnacle of magecraft. After all, this world was no longer like his past life, where money was king. For most mages, aside from the elusive Root, profound knowledge and immense power—things that represented proximity to the Root—were the only factors that determined status.

And while he didn't particularly want to reach the Root, his current strength, according to his own estimation, was at best on the level of someone like Kayneth, not to mention that his combat experience relied entirely on the support mode of the Great Sage!

"Of course it is." Liddell placed her hand on the authentication magic with extreme ease and explained casually, "Not to mention that you are the main party involved in this meeting and there are some things you need to know, Lords have the right to bring assistants to meetings anyway."

"However..."

The massive door emitted an ancient, muffled sound before slowly creaking open, and the various gazes within, to a greater or lesser extent, instantly bypassed Liddell and landed on Rimuru.

"There are only thirteen seats, and they certainly wouldn't agree to let you take my place."

As she spoke, Liddell gradually lifted her exquisite face, raised her chin, and scanned the crowd. Her originally gentle tone and gaze gradually became indifferent and serious.

Ugh, Rimuru swallowed hard. The aura Liddell suddenly unleashed made him reflexively straighten his posture as he looked toward the meeting hall.

In the center of the vast hall, at the head of the circular conference table, an empty seat represented the Director. Aside from that, the twelve seats were almost all occupied, with only the seventh seat remaining vacant. On the soft red cushion, tiny points of light floated, slightly shimmering with an honorable surname.

"Achelotte".

Clearly, that seat belonged to the seventh-ranked noble family, Lord Mei Liddell Achelotte.

"You're late, Achelotte."

While others were either observing or resting with their eyes closed, only a young woman sitting upright next to the seat at the head of the table spoke. Her tone was laced with an unquestionable sense of oppression. Rimuru took a few careful looks; the high ponytail paired with her sword-like brows and cold, aloof features caused the image of this exceptionally strong-willed woman to gradually overlap with the descriptions in Rimuru's memory.

This must be Lorelei of the Barthomeloi family. She certainly didn't look easy to deal with...

Educated as an elite and groomed as an heir in his past life, Rimuru habitually began to analyze her personality, the possibility of forming an alliance, and her weaknesses should they become enemies.

A strong sense of elitism, a typical "strong woman" style—she would be quite easy to target... but... the fact that she was a typical aristocratic supremacist who operated on the principle of "the family comes first" made Rimuru's head ache.

This family-first personality naturally discriminated against other nobles without any sense of reason. It was like a black person trying to befriend a white supremacist; it wasn't impossible, but the difficulty level was self-evident.

Setting aside the Director's assistant, who held all the power, Rimuru slowly followed Liddell into the hall and began to observe the others.

"It's not like anyone would have anything to say if I arrived early, right?" Perhaps accustomed to Lorelei's personality, Liddell showed no fear, simply replying softly before walking directly to her seat. At the same time, she returned friendly gestures to the few Lords who nodded at her, acknowledging them with a nod of her own.

A meeting of all the Lords inevitably involved struggles between interests and factions. Therefore, no matter how good their private relationships might be, every Lord would try to maintain a serious demeanor during such plenary meetings, as if desperate to demonstrate their absolute neutrality and that they wouldn't help anyone.

Just like how, when arguing online, most people would start by saying "I'm just a passerby, not a fan or a hater"—it was fake, but necessary.

This resulted in the Lords being unable to chat casually during the meeting, even if they were supporters or from friendly factions, meaning that even if they arrived early, they could only engage in boring eye contact or simply close their eyes to rest.

Just like the old fox from Trantbellio in the second seat, who seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, appearing as harmless as a withered old man. But if you knew the truth, you would know that this old guy was the most unshakable authority in the Clock Tower today. Most terrifyingly, at his advanced age, he had several wives and over a dozen daughters. His most famous trait was that his essence generation and stamina were exceptionally high!

In other words... he was not only incredibly enduring, but his recovery rate was astonishing!

As Liddell slightly lifted her skirt and sat down like a proud princess, Rimuru's gaze suddenly collided with the smile of the last of the Three Great Families.

This made his heart tighten, and instead of feeling any sense of relief, he felt a wave of pressure.

That was Inorai, the teacher of Aozaki Touko, and the very same terrifying existence who had personally and strongly demanded that Aozaki Touko be designated for sealing!

If there was anyone Rimuru least wanted to get involved with in his analysis, it was this democratic old woman. He wanted nothing to do with her, because setting aside his own aristocratic stance, whether it was the nobility-supremacist Barthomeloi Lorelei or the treacherous old fox feigning sleep, those were objects he could deal with and analyze using the methods he had learned in his previous life.

Only when there is a demand does it imply room for compromise and weakness, and only then is there a possibility of interference—whether by playing the sycophant or by engaging as an enemy.

But Inorai was different. She was an existence of ultimate, unwavering self-certainty, someone who could not be swayed by others, unaffected by emotions, a perfect and cold ideal existence akin to a god.

She was gentle in temperament and never grew angry, appearing at any time and place like a kind, elderly noblewoman who favored shades of green. Yet, deep down, she would sacrifice even her most beloved disciple without hesitation, simply because designating them for sealing was the "correct" course of action.

She practiced politics as naturally as breathing and conducted magical research as casually as taking a walk. In her view, as long as something was logical, she would act without any interference, never caring for the thoughts or opinions of others.

Her essence was something that even Aozaki Touko would find terrifying in the end. To Rimuru, a heart devoid of entanglement or hesitation could no longer be called human.

She was an extremely terrifying, unconstrained monster.

Therefore, when this seventy-year-old woman turned a gentle, accepting smile toward him, Rimuru's first internal reaction was a sense of terror, as if he were being stared at by a primordial beast.

Just as a researcher would not hesitate to dismantle an interesting piece of technology to see how it worked, Rimuru, now targeted by Inorai, took a deep breath and calmly shifted his gaze. He looked toward Kayneth, who was still sitting in the fourth seat, leaning his arm against the side of his chair and watching Rimuru quietly with his chin in his hand. Seeing Rimuru look his way, Kayneth returned a nod with a smile that was neither too close nor too distant. Then, a simple, unadorned darkness slowly condensed from the seat at the very top, resembling a pitch-black shadow of the night.

Once the Dean's familiar appeared, it meant the meeting had officially begun.

The agenda for this meeting was simple: aside from deciding the arrangements for this year's new students and the distribution of resources among the nobles, Rimuru's assassination was also a very important topic.

At this moment, Rimuru stood quietly behind Liddell, watching the disputes with cold eyes, attempting to discern which faction had been involved and which faction was using this as a sword to kick him while he was down...

Meanwhile, a young girl pulling a suitcase was strolling through the streets of Tokyo. Her smooth, long hair cascaded down like a waterfall along her cyan dress, causing several young men who had just stepped off the subway to hesitate over whether they should go up and try to ask for her contact information. Just then, the girl paused slightly and looked up at the azure bird in the sky: "A robin?"

"Aoko Aozaki's acquaintance?" Aozaki Aoko tilted her head, her slender, elegant hand lifting slightly. Snap. A crisp sound echoed.

The young men who had been peeking at the girl all froze, and the next moment, confusion washed over their faces.

What... were we doing here?

But where the girl had been standing, the person was gone, leaving only the suitcase behind.

Chapter 009: So This Is What They Call a Lord's Meeting?

"Then let us begin, Lord Bamesero."

The old fox feigning sleep was the first to break the silence.

"First, regarding the budget application for the Modern Magecraft Department..."

As Bamesero's powerful and slightly indifferent voice began to detail the items that required collective decisions from the Lords, Rimuru's focus, which had been sharp at the start, gradually drifted until he felt drowsy, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

The meeting proceeded in an orderly fashion. Unlike the cutthroat debates Rimuru had imagined, for these issues that had almost no controversy, most of the Lords held an indifferent attitude, waiting for suggestions before simply chiming in with their agreement.

Not only was there no debate, but the atmosphere was actually quite harmonious, as if they were just chatting about daily life—until they reached the seventh item:

"A perennial issue: the appointment of the Head of the Modern Magecraft Department..."

Barthomeloi Lorelei spoke again with indifference. In her view, this was also an uncontroversial topic.

"If I recall correctly, this is the third year, is it not?"

Jigumalie of the Department of Curse-work stroked the ring on his finger and said with zero interest.

"Since no one is willing to take over this department, what is the point of bringing it up every year? My opinion is to keep it as it is; let's just second the motion and pass it."

According to past results, this should have been skipped over with a chorus of agreements, but this time, an aged and composed voice suddenly rang out: "Come to think of it, I heard that Achelotte has made some incredible moves this year."

The old man's words made Rimuru's entire body jolt, and he instantly became alert. Was it finally starting?!

The legendary passive-aggressive bickering?!

"Huh?" Liddell, who had been minding her own business and drifting off as if she were in a primary school principal's meeting, was suddenly provoked, revealing her small fangs as she said speechlessly, "What is that supposed to mean, Yuri Phis?"

"I heard that this year, Achelotte invested half of the entire family's assets into the secular world's telecommunications industry and so-called... electronic products?" Yuri Phis clearly wasn't fond of such terms, frowning habitually as he spoke. "That seems quite fitting for the Modern Magecraft Department, doesn't it? Why? Won't you consider it?"

"Heh." Yuri Phis's words clearly brought a hint of gunpowder to the dull meeting. The middle-aged man in the seat of Gaiusling also glanced at the two Lords, then suddenly chuckled and shook his head helplessly.

Yuri Phis's remark was purely meant to be disgusting. The status of the Modern Magecraft Department was so low that no Lord had even stationed themselves there to this day. In other words, the place was so dilapidated that Lords would rather give up the Academic City and the position of Department Head than take over the discipline. Beyond the fact that it was looked down upon from the start, for years, the department's budget had been carved up by other Lords, and the city's infrastructure had seen no development. The entire Academic City was like an ancient street, not even comparable to an affiliated university.

If one were to take over this city, not only would there be no profit to be made, but one would likely have to pour in a significant amount of money, as the students' research and such all required funding.

Do not think that mages are not short of money; they just aren't short of small change. Mage families have significant patent fee protections, but... just think of Tohsaka Rin, for whom a single spell meant a gemstone.

You would understand why the Tohsaka family lived in a castle yet still had to go out and work.

As for Liddell's Achelotte, besides being a wealthy tycoon that started in coal, what made other Lords most envious was not only their ability to make money in the secular world, but also their control over the Department of Botany, famous for its magical potions—a department that was dripping with profit. They couldn't bring themselves to make money in the secular world, but this Department of Botany... they had been coveting it for a long time!

Since she already possessed the fertile field of the Department of Botany, Achelotte naturally had no need to meddle in the mess that was the Modern Magecraft Department. Yuri Phis likely didn't harbor any delusions of using this broken department to shake her position in the Department of Botany; he was merely using it to annoy Liddell.

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, Liddell would raise an eyebrow and actually nod, saying, "Fine."

"Hm?!"

Hearing this, Gaiusling and the other Lords who had decent relations with Achelotte were all stunned. Bamesero, who had already flipped the page of the magical automatic-writing notebook used for records, actually stopped his movement, raised an eyebrow, and had to flip it back.

She asked coldly, "Are you certain?"

It was not that a Lord lacked the right to manage two departments simultaneously, but it was clear that managing two cities at once easily became a vulnerability for others to exploit. In other words, even if no one targeted Liddell this year, once she took over the Modern Magecraft Department, she would inevitably need to build it up and invest money into it.

Thus, if it didn't develop, it would be fine—at worst, she would be forced to abandon it when attacked—but this would affect her evaluation as a Lord and, to a certain extent, her status and prestige.

But if it did develop, whether it was profitable or not, it was still a piece of meat. Achelotte couldn't just throw away the Department of Botany, could she?

It is foreseeable that, to say nothing of others, Yuri Phis would definitely be the first to jump out and make an issue of this, and while forcing the other party to give up this piece of meat, at that time... whoever can grab this cake will have the ability to keep it.

But regardless, taking over the Modern Magecraft Department at this moment is clearly a thankless task.

"How should I put it?" Liddell tilted her chin slightly, resting her delicate cheek on her small hand, and chuckled: "It's not that Achelotte can't afford to support an academic city; in fact, that car of mine that you all look down upon could almost buy the entire Sura."

Sura is the name of that Academic City.

It is also the star city of the future princess, Waver.

But it must be said, Liddell's thoroughly nouveau riche expression made the corners of Yuri Phis and the others' mouths twitch a few times.

Having money... is having money so great?!

The other Lords do not necessarily have fewer assets than Achelotte, but... the other Lords basically spend their money on magecraft materials and research. Very few would invest in the secular world as a capital tycoon like Achelotte. It's not that they can't, but that they shouldn't, because they pursue the Root and naturally require higher knowledge and magecraft levels. And Achelotte?

They rely on their damn witch bloodline!

Although they pay some attention to researching magecraft, at least they don't have as much of a need for it as the others!

Just imagine, when they spend tens of millions in assets to acquire the corresponding materials just to upgrade their Magic Crest, the Achelotte witch only needs to take a nap, and the inheritance is complete...

Of course, this is not to say that the Achelotte lineage doesn't need to spend money; they also need to invest a large amount of capital. But compared to other families, the fact that they belong to a faction of witches who are adept at refining potions destined them to be able to "save" more. And as they kept saving, they accidentally saved their way into a financial empire...

"However." Facing everyone's speechlessness, Liddell thought for a moment, sat up straight, and said softly: "I don't think there is any point in taking over a department that has been hollowed out by you all, so I have considered it..."

Having said this, she turned her head to glance at Rimuru, revealed a smile, and turned back: "I can guarantee the normal operation of this city and next year's rating standards. Hmm, but I am quite busy and still have to go hold concerts, so I intend to give the position of Department Head to... Rimuru."

As soon as these words fell, Yuri Phis, who had already guessed a bit, paused his hand resting on the table. He didn't say anything, but the Lord of Brishisan from the neutral faction nearby immediately spoke up: "I object."

Barthomeloi Lorelei was silent for a moment before quickly denying it: "The qualifications for a Department Head are not something a lecturer can touch. Perhaps you could consider changing to someone else."

"Then let's push this topic back." Liddell didn't care at all and said softly: "Put it after the twelfth topic."

As soon as she finished speaking, the entire conference room fell silent for a few seconds.

Yuri Phis withdrew his withered, bamboo-like fingers from the table, his already cold aura becoming even more gloomy. He said in an extremely composed, perhaps even somewhat decaying voice: "You had... planned this all along, didn't you."