"Right. I'm a demon too, just like Adelio."
"......"
"...If that's true, then you're from the red line of demons as well..."
"Hehe, it seems you've misunderstood something. I may be on Guy's side, but that doesn't mean I'm his subordinate. To put it more simply... would you understand if I said [Blanc]?"
"...!!!"
"B-[Blanc]?!"
[Primordial Demons], [Blanc].
One of the supreme pinnacles of demonkind, said to stand on equal footing with the [Demon Lord]s, and the empress of the underworld who ruled over the white line of demons.
Because of the Crimson Lake Incident she had caused in the [Eastern Empire] in the past, the world still regarded her as a second Guy Crimson. The fact that she had been a member of the [Hero Party] brought an even greater shock than Adelio's identity had.
After all, the [Primordial Demons], who were judged [Disaster]-class even without names or bodies, had always been calamities to humanity.
"......Sir Ria, do you realize what you're saying right now?! You're claiming that you yourself are the queen of demons who shook the [Eastern Empire]... No matter how great a mage you are, there are things that can and cannot be sa-"
"-My, I'm only revealing my own identity with my own lips, and yet you're speaking rather arrogantly, aren't you?"
With everyone struck speechless by the revelation that Ria, like Adelio, was not human, Zen, the court sorcerer who understood the danger of the [Primordial Demons] better than anyone there, shouted at her in a voice full of shock and suspicion. Ria merely cut him off and smiled at ease.
"Judging by that expression, it seems you don't want to believe that I'm a [Primordial Demons] who obtained a name. Unfortunately for you, everything I just said is true."
Now that even Adelio had revealed himself, Ria had no reason to keep hiding anything about her own identity.
If the people gathered here had even a shred of proper judgment, they would never do something as foolish as trying to face both her, a [Primordial Demons], and Adelio, who was her equal, at the same time.
"......Is this a dream? No matter how I look at it, it can only be described as a nightmare..."
"...I'd rather it really were a nightmare."
"This is bad enough already... Just having three [Primordial Demons] on the surface is a disaster, and now you're telling me a fourth had descended long ago..."
"......So a demon capable of destroying a nation with ease was this close to us..."
Gazel and his close aides, who at least had heard the title [Primordial Demons] a few times even if they didn't know as much as Zen, could only let out helpless laments.
"So Sir Ria really was a demon too..."
"......In some ways, she did feel even less human than Sir Adelio..."
"...For some reason, it doesn't actually feel that strange to me."
The monsters, hearing the term [Primordial Demons] for the first time, quietly watched the situation unfold.
And Rimuru, after receiving at least a brief explanation from [Great Sage] about what the [Primordial Demons] were-
"Uh... this is a little overwhelming... but is it really okay for you two to tell us your identities this easily?"
-looked back and forth between Adelio and Ria with calm in her eyes.
Just hearing that Adelio was the right hand of a [Demon Lord] and that Ria was a [Primordial Demons] made it sound as though the two of them had betrayed humanity. But if they had truly meant to betray humanity, there was no reason they would have spent centuries resolving incidents in the West. Thinking they must have some other aim, she tilted her head.
Right now, what mattered more than the fact that Adelio really was a demon was why he had chosen to reveal it.
"This is only half a guess, but... I don't think you joined the [Hero Party] to deceive us. So I want you to tell us what you're planning by revealing your identities to us."
So Rimuru asked honestly.
Rather than wasting time spinning her wheels over clumsy suspicions, it seemed better to trust the character Adelio and Ria had shown her until now.
At the very least, the fact that Adelio held goodwill toward both humanity and monsters was an obvious truth that needed no doubting.
"...Heh."
"Of course. I was planning to explain that too."
Ria let out a small laugh as she met Rimuru's gaze, while Adelio gave a light shrug as if to say not to worry. Then he turned his eyes toward the people still looking at him uneasily.
"Whether you believe us or not is up to you, but Ria and I have no intention of being enemies of humanity. If anything, it's the opposite."
Then, drawing back the demonic magic he had been releasing this whole time into his body, he pointed to his own heart.
"I became a [Hero] so I could use the fact that I'm a monster carrying a [Hero's Egg] as a means to bring humanity and monsters together."
A contradiction that should have been absolutely impossible, used instead as a symbol to declare harmony between the two sides.
"If the conflict between humanity and monsters continues like this, nothing good will ever come of it. There will only be endless fighting, until one side is wiped out someday."
In truth, even now, while the [Demon Lord]s and the great nations had yet to move, the relationship between humanity and monsters was already hostile.
There was no need to look far. The [Western Holy Church], where the largest number of people seeking revenge against monsters had gathered, was so consumed by hatred for monsters that it treated innocent [Dwarf]s and [Elf]s as monsters too, venting its rage on them.
"So I made a plan. I would hide the fact that I'm a monster and build my name as a [Hero], then form an alliance with a monster faction that does not oppose humanity. Once that faction rose to a position where other nations would recognize it, I would reveal my identity and publicly announce the first force to advocate harmony between monsters and humanity-that was the operation."
And now, that operation had nearly reached its final stage, and this very moment was when it was about to bear fruit.
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