"...I’ve said it several times already, but you can just call me by my name, the way you do with Shizu."
Adelio clearly disliked being called [Sword Emperor], as if it were hardly a title he welcomed.
"Mm... I’ll do my best."
At that, Benimaru gave an awkward nod.
Judging by appearances alone, Adelio looked younger than he was, but in truth he was a [Hero] from roughly the same era as that [Sword Demon], and on top of that, he was the benefactor who had saved the [Ogre]s. It wasn’t easy to casually address someone like that by name.
'...He does seem like a kind person, just like Shizue and the old man said. But when I think about his strength... anyone would be afraid.'
More than anything, he was a man with monstrous power.
Even though he had held back considerably while fighting Footman, he had still displayed strength on the level of an [Awakened Demon Lord], surpassing Frey, Carrion, and even Clayman, all members of the Ten Great Demon Lords.
Of course, Benimaru, still no more than an [Ogre], couldn’t grasp that much in detail, but it wasn’t hard to guess that in the great forest, now that the Storm Dragon was gone, there was likely no one stronger than Adelio.
'I don’t know why he’s telling us to follow a slime named Rimuru instead of serving him... but I’ll have to see for myself.'
Instinctively deciding that following Adelio’s advice was the path to survival, Benimaru chose to trust his words.
"That aside, have you decided who’ll be in the advance party sent to Rimuru?"
When Adelio asked, the dark-blue-haired [Ogre] standing beside Benimaru, Souei, answered.
"After discussion between the elders and the chieftain, it was decided that the five of us here, along with one elder and several of the elders’ blood relatives, will depart."
If all three hundred [Ogre]s moved at once, there was a high chance the nearby races would become wary, so they had decided to first send an advance party centered around Benimaru, the next chieftain.
After all, if a large group of [Ogre]s suddenly showed up, Rimuru might mistake them for enemies coming to wage war.
"The exact date hasn’t been set yet, but we’ll probably leave in four days."
This time, it was Shuna, the pink-haired [Ogre] princess, who answered.
She had been quietly gazing at Adelio with deep rose-colored eyes slightly darker than her hair, and just like her older brother and the purple-haired [Ogre], Shion, her expression was full of admiration and gratitude.
The man receiving those looks, however, only found them awkward.
"...If you leave in four days... you might arrive around the same time we do."
"Lord Adelio, are you and the other two not coming with us?"
Unlike Benimaru, Shion didn’t bother tiptoeing around him. She asked the question comfortably, calling Adelio by name.
Adelio nodded at her.
"Yeah. We’re planning to stop by another country for a while, then come back into the great forest."
He was planning to send Shizu to the Kingdom of Blumund, then keep an eye on Rimuru, who should be heading for Dwargo by now.
'If I ask King Gazel, I should be able to watch Rimuru’s trial in person.'
He still had no intention of directly interfering in Rimuru’s affairs just yet, but it seemed better to get acquainted with him sooner rather than later—certainly before the [Ogre]s did.
So he intended to witness the trial that would take place in Dwargo and judge for himself.
Whether Rimuru truly was a man with the same goal as the one from the novel.
*
"...So you’re leaving."
The chieftain’s manor.
Unlike last time, the chieftain sat alone without the elders in attendance, quietly speaking as he looked at Adelio, Ria, and Shizu.
"It would be good if we could travel together, but we can’t keep those who have other business here for long."
He added that he looked forward to meeting them again, then bowed deeply, just as he had before.
'Even if hundreds of years pass, this connection with that [Hero] will remain our most precious gain.'
Just as his son Benimaru instinctively trusted Adelio, so did he.
It was a bond that had already been connected to that [Sword Demon] centuries ago, yet one he had never paid much attention to and never truly understood until now.
But now he felt he understood.
That every connection born from this one would surely lead only to extraordinary people.
"And... though I doubt such a thing will happen, if there ever comes a time when you need the strength of us [Ogre]s, you may ask for our help at any time."
The chieftain—or rather, the [Ogre] who would one day receive the name Crimson Lotus from Rimuru—made his vow once more.
That someday, without fail, the [Ogre]s would repay the grace this noble man before them had shown them.
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