The mansion in the [Goblin] village.
This estate, which served as both Chief Rigurdo's home and the village's meeting hall, was the first house designed after Kaijin and the three [Dwarf] brothers arrived here.
Naturally, that meant it was far more advanced in terms of craftsmanship, and as a result, it looked like the kind of house you might easily find in a rural area back on Earth.
"...Hah, so all two hundred thousand of them are heading to one place..."
Kaijin, attending the meeting as the representative of the craftsmen, muttered that as he stroked his beard.
"Yes. To know for certain, I'd need to summon my clone body for a full report, but at the very least, until noon both the main force and the detached force were moving north along the great river."
Souei, who had been monitoring the [Orc] forces by alternating between himself and his clone body, rose from his seat and pointed to the model of the [Orc] main army at the center of the table.
"Judging by the movements of the main force and the detached force, the place where they're expected to join up is this marshland east of here."
"Which means they're heading for [Lizardmen] territory?"
"That's right."
After nodding at Rigurdo's question, Souei sat back down.
"An army of two hundred thousand... It's still such an absurd number that it doesn't even feel real."
Sipping the tea gifted by the [Ogre], Rimuru stared at the model board and spoke in a low voice.
"...What exactly are the [Orc] after? I heard they're monsters with fairly low intelligence, but judging by how they're moving now, they don't seem stupid at all."
"...That is certainly strange."
Rimuru's doubt was perfectly reasonable.
To begin with, if the [Orc] were truly nothing but dim-witted monsters, there was no way they could maneuver a force of two hundred thousand this strategically.
"Hmm. If this invasion has some purpose beyond instinct... then we may need to suspect that someone is backing them from the shadows."
A hidden backer.
Like the seasoned [Dwarf] he was, Kaijin had taken the broadest view of the situation and raised the possibility that some individual might be intervening behind the [Orc].
And hearing that, Rimuru narrowed his eyes sharply and asked,
"A hidden backer... You mean, for example, a [Demon Lord]?"
At present, the [Demon Lord] were the ones who had built the largest monster factions in this world.
With power that made each of them little different from a catastrophe, controlling the [Orc] would hardly be difficult for them.
*
"Good instincts."
At the word [Demon Lord], everyone fell silent, and Adelio, seated beside Rimuru, spoke for the first time.
"Just as you guessed, there is a [Demon Lord] faction behind the [Orc]. More precisely, this was something one of the [Demon Lord] set in motion on his own."
As soon as the eyes of everyone at the meeting turned toward him, Adelio continued in a voice full of certainty.
"Gelmud, who appeared in the [Ogre] village and the [Goblin] village, and that [clown] who showed up alongside the [Orc] attack both serve the same [Demon Lord]."
"...Th-then, Sir Adelio, do you know which [Demon Lord] they serve...?"
Rigurdo spoke in a trembling voice, as if he had only just realized something obvious.
The man before him was the very [Hero] who had fought [Demon Lord] several times. Of course he would know far more about the highest-ranking monsters than they, who had once been lowly monsters.
And as if confirming Rigurdo's thoughts, Adelio spoke the name of a certain [Demon Lord].
The new [Demon Lord] of the [Deathmen] he hated most, the one he intended to kill with his own hands someday—
"[Marionette Master], Clayman."
—the ruler of the puppet nation of Jistav.
In truth, Adelio had not wanted to tell them about Clayman this early, but he had already decided long ago that Clayman would be thoroughly crushed, so he was deliberately informing Rimuru's group in advance.
"He's a [Demon Lord] who's always liked scheming from the shadows. If he's even called in the [clown], who are practically his private soldiers, then he must consider this matter pretty important."
Adelio spoke in a dry, indifferent tone, as if it were nothing much, but the monsters who heard him reacted very differently.
*
"So a [Demon Lord] really was involved..."
"...This has become a very serious matter."
To them, the meaning of [Demon Lord] was enormous.
Excluding the [True Dragon], the beings closest to rulers of all monsters were the current [Ten Great Demon Lords], so they were not opponents to be treated lightly.
Of course, from Adelio's point of view—someone who had met every one of those [Demon Lord]—it was a completely pointless worry.
"You don't need to think that deeply about it. Clayman can't interfere with the great forest directly anyway."
"...And why is that?"
"Simple. The [Demon Lord] have a non-aggression pact regarding the great forest. That's why Clayman used Gelmud and the [clown], who aren't publicly known, to exploit a loophole in that pact."
In other words, even if Clayman failed here, he would not be able to directly pressure Rimuru's faction.
If he tried something like that and another [Demon Lord] faction—especially Guy—found out, he would not only lose his seat as a [Demon Lord], he might be executed on the spot.
Just using the [Orc] already counted as half a treaty violation. If Adelio simply told Guy about this, Clayman would likely be deposed immediately.
Guy might overlook people like Leon or Luminous, but Clayman was different.
In Guy's eyes, Clayman was weak, not especially useful intellectually, and little more than a disposable piece.
He had only been accepted because the other [Demon Lord] had insisted.
"So there's no need to worry about Clayman. Right now, dealing with the [Orc] comes first."
"...You're right."
"Yes, we should deal with what's right in front of us first."
"Mm. More than anything else right now, what matters is resolving the [Orc] problem—...!"
Just as Souei was about to agree with Adelio, his body suddenly went rigid as if struck by shock.
"What is it?"
When Benimaru, seated beside him, asked if something was wrong, Souei replied that it was nothing and quickly regained his composure.
"Someone just made contact with the clone body I have out scouting."
"Made contact?"
Rimuru, seated at the head of the table, leaned forward and joined in.
"Yes. They say they wish to convey their [Thought Communication] to you, Lord Rimuru. What would you like to do?"
"Hmm... Who is it supposed to be? If it's another weirdo like Gabiru, I'd rather just refuse."
"Not... exactly strange, but it is a very rare sort of visitor."
Souei paused for a moment, took a short breath, and continued.
"It's a... [Dryad]."
"A [Dryad]...?"
Rimuru tilted his head, not knowing exactly what kind of race a [Dryad] was, but the monsters who did know showed clear surprise on their faces.
"The forest's caretaker has appeared?!"
"It's been decades since a [Dryad] last showed herself, hasn't it...?"
Not only the [Hobgoblin] but even the [Kijin] were unable to hide their shock, and Rimuru's expression made it obvious that he was starting to think a [Dryad] must be a pretty remarkable monster.
"Hmm, sounds like someone it's fine to invite in. Bring her here."
"Understood."
Not long after Souei answered, a blue wind stirred—
Fwoooosh...!
"To the one who rules monsters and all those who serve him, and... even the heroes of humanity, it is a pleasure to meet you."
—and together with a green light that blended into nature itself, the [Dryad]'s [Thought Communication] took visible form.
"I am called Treyni, a [Dryad]. I hope you will look kindly upon me."
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