"Ohh! So the ones who defeated the [Orc Lord] were that slime and Rio's disciple?!"
The top of the royal castle in the puppet state of [Jistav].
This place had long been favored by an [Elf] royal even before Kazaream and his successor Clayman took power, but now it was hosting a miniature Walpurgis—a banquet of [Demon Lord]s—with no fewer than four gathered in one room, each of them capable of destroying a nation alone.
"...So that human is Adelio's disciple, Izawa Shizue."
"I heard Gelmud died, so I figured he just got carried away on his own and screwed up. But if his opponent was the disciple of [Sword of Spirit]... no, the [Grand Duke of the Underworld], then that's a different story. Though it's still just as pathetic."
Frey, queen of the Harpies, and Carrion, king of the lycanthropes, stared at the glowing orbs set into the center of the long table and muttered with interest.
As members of the [Ten Great Demon Lords], both rulers knew Adelio's true identity. They seemed a little surprised that he had entered the great forest under the guise of a [Hero] together with his disciple, but neither of them said anything about the non-aggression pact.
They knew Adelio had been an ally planted there by Guy from the start to monitor humanity's movements, and if that level of interference counted as violating the pact, then sending Gelmud would amount to admitting the same thing.
"So what are you going to do now, Clayman? With the [Orc Lord] dead, crowning a new [Demon Lord] is impossible now."
Baring his sharp fangs in a savage grin, Carrion turned his gaze toward Clayman, who sat at the end of the table.
"Heh heh, there's no need to worry. The death of the [Orc Lord] is certainly a major loss, but in exchange, we've succeeded in discovering a monster faction with power equal to or greater than the [Orc Lord]. So now, shouldn't we simply make use of them?"
As always, Clayman held a wineglass in hand. He added that all they had to do was win over the leader of the faction Adelio had joined forces with, then smiled in a way that looked openly sinister.
"...?! What are you talking about, Clayman!"
"...You want to use the monsters the [Grand Duke of the Underworld] has already marked for himself...? Are you out of your mind?"
"Carrion's right! Making a new [Demon Lord] does sound fun, but that doesn't mean you get to steal Rio's toys!"
Carrion and Milim rejected Clayman's proposal at once, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
In terms of rank, Adelio was technically beneath the [Demon Lord]s gathered here, but in raw power he was a monster with almost no equal even among [Demon Lord]s. And to Milim, he was also a precious best friend.
"...I oppose it too. We don't even need to bring up his own strength. Guy is behind him."
On top of that, the [Demon Lord] Adelio served was Guy Crimson, the true leader and strongest of the [Ten Great Demon Lords].
"Even if [Demon Lord]s are supposed to stand as equals, you know better than anyone that Guy is the one absolute exception, don't you, Clayman?"
Milim and Ramiris, the primordial [Demon Lord]s, didn't care much about appearances or what outsiders thought. But the [Ten Great Demon Lords] who were not primordial still understood, deep down, that even among [Demon Lord]s, there were differences in standing.
Milim was the daughter of the [Creator God], and Ramiris was the first [Arbiter]. In the same way, Guy was the strongest monster in history, the one who had first given shape to the very concept of a [Demon Lord].
And unlike those two, he had no childish temperament and no weakness like a previous life. He was a flawless monster.
"Heh heh, of course I understand that provoking [Sword of Spirit] would do me no good."
"Then why..."
"When I said I would win them over, I meant not only the leader of that monster faction, but [Sword of Spirit] as well."
"...Rio too?"
Clayman gave a light nod at Milim's question and pointed at the images of Adelio and Rimuru flickering across the orb.
"He's one of Guy's subordinates, yet he's come all the way to this great forest rather than staying in lands ruled by [Demon Lord]s or places where the [Underworld Gate] exists, and he's taking care of monsters here. Doesn't that make it highly likely that he, like us, wants the birth of a new [Demon Lord]?"
"...Hmm... is that so?"
"...I can't say for certain that it isn't."
"It does sound likely."
To Milim, Adelio was the best friend who always brought her entertaining new games. To Carrion and Frey, Adelio was not the kind of demon who wasted effort on pointless things. So none of them could outright deny what Clayman said.
"If he truly does want the birth of a [Demon Lord] like we do, then we draw him to our side and cooperate. If that happens, then with Guy behind him, half of the [Ten Great Demon Lords] would effectively be working together. The other [Demon Lord]s wouldn't dare voice opposition."
In truth, Clayman's thinking was not entirely wrong.
It was just that—
"No matter if he's Guy's subordinate, in the end he's still only a single demon. In a situation where four [Demon Lord]s are gathered like this, even he won't be able to bring about the birth of a [Demon Lord] on his own."
—what Adelio was planning reached much farther ahead, while what Clayman imagined lagged far behind it.
Thump!
"Then I'll be the one to go win over Rio and that slime! You don't mind, right, Clayman, Carrion, Frey?"
Milim slammed the table and sprang to her feet, her eyes shining as she made the declaration. Carrion and Frey merely shrugged as if they had no objection.
"Of course. Out of everyone here, you're the closest to him."
Clayman also nodded, saying he had no objections.
If no one else stepped up, he had been considering sending the [Moderate Harlequin Alliance] again, but Milim—whom Adelio treated like a younger sister—would be far more effective.
"Mm! Then I'll go right now!"
Fwoooosh...!!
In an instant, Milim wrapped her entire body in her own magicules, threw open the castle window, and shot high into the sky like a bullet.
She was heading for the place where her best friend, whom she had not seen in a very long time, was waiting.
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