Adelio explained four things in total to Youm's group and Eren's party.
The first was that the master of this place really was a slime, that this slime had defeated the [Orc Lord] together with the [Hero Party], and that the safety of the monsters living here was guaranteed by the [Hero Party] and [Dwargo].
The last was that they wanted an alliance with [Blumund] and to open friendly exchanges with Youm's group.
"...Hah."
"......I never thought the day would come when that [Hero Party] would vouch for monsters. What in the world am I supposed to tell the kingdom...?"
"Well, if Miss Shizue and Mr. Adelio are both backing them, I doubt His Majesty will be able to object too much, right?"
"...That may be true, but still..."
Eren's party had already seen Rimuru once a few months ago, so aside from Fuze, who was meeting her for the first time today, they did not react much to Adelio's explanation.
"......"
But Youm's group seemed to have a great deal on their minds.
Most of all, they were shaken by the fact that Adelio and Shizue were part of the [Hero Party], the kind of figures one would expect to hear about only in legends.
"......The [Hero Party] that had been active since two hundred years ago..."
There had been one other party in the West during that era besides the [Hero Party] led by Adelio, but that one had only been formed recently. On top of that, Adelio's party had been the one and only group to originally include two [Hero]es, so countless rumors and legends had been left behind about them.
That was why even Youm and his companions, who had come from the slums of [Falmuth], could not have avoided hearing Adelio's name a few times. And now the very man from those rumors was standing before them, so it was only natural that their thoughts would grow complicated.
"......But why would people as extraordinary as you want ties with an ordinary investigation party like us...? I mean, why is that?"
Youm had started to ask casually, but as Shion's killing edge grew sharper and sharper, he quickly switched back to polite speech and looked at Adelio with eyes that still could not quite believe any of this.
After all, it made no sense. A man who could live like royalty in any nation he chose was instead protecting a country made up of nothing but monsters.
"...The reason, huh."
Adelio had his own thoughts on the matter, but this time, just as Youm suspected, there was not much profit in it.
[Blumund] was one thing, but as for Youm's group, the original plan had been for them to be publicly known as allies who had joined [Tempest] in defeating the [Orc Lord], in order to show that this nation had no intention of being hostile toward humans.
But now that Adelio and the [Hero Party] were here, there was no longer any real need for Youm's group to fill that role.
Of course, if the fact that Adelio was a demon ever spread beyond the upper ranks of [Dwargo] and [Sarion] and across the entire continent, then Youm's group might become useful later. But there was still plenty of time before that, and above all, there were Luminous, the leader of the [Western Holy Church], and Hinata as well.
'If I look at it coldly, aside from when the time comes to bring down the royal family of [Falmuth], there really isn't much they can help with...'
Still, there were too many things bothering him to just let it pass.
Without even digging deeply into it, if he simply left Youm's group alone, they would be killed by [Falmuth]'s hunting dogs before long. And if that happened, the "spy" Clayman would send would move differently as well.
So—
"...The reason isn't anything that grand."
—even if they were little more than a chicken rib, too awkward to throw away and too lacking to truly value, he would accept them for now.
"From the very beginning, one of this country's goals was harmony between humans and monsters. We're only putting that into practice."
"......Humans and monsters?"
"That's right. That was the very first reason we started working with Rimuru."
"...You really are a strange bunch......aren't you."
To an ordinary person, it sounded absurd beyond belief. But seeing as the [Hero Party] was already standing together with monsters, Youm could only keep nodding.
In any case, they still needed time to prepare before leaving this place, and for some reason, it did not feel like these people were simply going to let them walk away.
**
Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Jura Great Forest, now veiled by the curtain of night.
"......Damn it!!"
Booom!
Several hours after Eren's party and Youm's group had arrived in [Tempest], Phobio was spending the night at camp under moonlight from above and firelight from below. Ignoring the uneasy looks of the Beastketeers, he smashed apart boulders with fists wrapped in magic power.
Bang! Boom!
He kept going until not a single rock remained scattered around the campsite.
"...That damned slime...... Adelio Ruber...!!"
Booooom—!!
At last, when every boulder had been shattered into dust, Phobio slammed the ground one final time and swallowed down his rage as he shouted Rimuru's and Adelio's names.
A fury that felt as though it would never be soothed unless those fists struck the two of them directly.
"Getting a little stronger than an [Arch Demon] by sheer luck, and he dares act that arrogant...!!"
"......"
...Naturally, for a fool who could not even properly judge the strength of the opponent he had set his sights on, there was not a single way for him to release the rage overflowing out of him.
......
And then,
near Phobio, who was fuming so blindly without knowing his place—
"...Yohohoho, it seems we've come to the right place!"
"Mm-hm! That black cat looks just perfect!"
—two clowns hidden in the darkness quietly waited for their moment.
Mocking the young black panther who would soon become their puppet.
And at the same time, honoring the remnants of the [Storm Dragon], who would soon be revived anew, just like the [Orc Lord].
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