After arriving in [Ruberios] as planned with Rimuru's group, Adelio first sent the musicians from [Tempest], who had come along for the exchange, to the papal palace. Then he headed with Rimuru toward [Night Garden].
Trailing after them were two suspiciously scheming bodyguards, plus Velgrynd and Shizue for good measure.
Officially, they were only going to meet the god of [Ruberios] as the temporary Emperor of the [Empire] and the king of [Tempest], a purely ceremonial visit.
But apparently, to those four, it did not seem like something so simple.
'Well, it really isn't a simple meeting.'
The leaders of three great powers were all gathering in one place, and on top of that, everyone involved had ties to Chronoa.
Maybe they had sensed, through a demon's instincts and a woman's intuition, the terrible disaster that would break out tomorrow morning and realized something was off.
'If it were anyone else, I'd worry, but Velgrynd and Shizue should be a big help in a fight against Chronoa, so it's probably fine if they came along. But those other two...'
Thinking that to himself as he descended the stairs leading to [Night Garden], Adelio turned his gaze to the two guards stuck close behind Rimuru.
One looked calm, but was actually the hottest-blooded [Kijin] in all of [Tempest]. The other was a demon infamous as one of the most deranged lunatics in the entire world.
They were Shion and Diablo.
'...I really don't know if this is going to be okay...'
Watching Shion and Diablo with anxious eyes, Adelio prayed to the goddess for the first time in his life, hoping with all his heart that he wouldn't end up crossing paths with those two troublemakers.
**
And then, a few minutes later...
"It has been a while, Adelio, Rimuru. And... even the uninvited guests."
Deep within an underground mansion untouched by even a ray of sunlight, the queen of the Vampires, Luminous, greeted them with a languid expression as she sipped her tea.
"I thought you understood that, fledgling though you still are, you are nevertheless one of the [Demon Lord]s and the Emperor of the [Empire]. But I never expected to see familiar faces among the uninvited guards you brought with you... This has become quite interesting."
Unlike Adelio and Rimuru, whose expressions had stiffened slightly, Luminous calmly lifted her gaze toward those standing behind them and pointedly smiled at Velgrynd and Diablo.
"One of the [True Dragon]s worshiped as the goddess of the [Empire], and a monstrosity belonging to the [Primordial Demons], setting foot in this sacred nation that worships me... How very amusing."
As the daughter of the divine progenitor and one of his masterpieces, Luminous was one of the [Demon Lord]s who knew more about the [True Dragon]s and the [Primordial Demons] than almost anyone besides Guy, even if she had never met them in person. Yet even with two monsters said to stand infinitely close to the strongest right before her, she maintained her composure.
It was the pride of being the queen of a race, and the self-assurance that she too was a being close to perfection, that let her hold that posture.
"Hmm... I had heard you were the daughter of the divine progenitor, so I assumed you'd be arrogant like him. But unlike that fool, it seems you at least have the temperament to back up your arrogance."
Facing her with an elegant smile much like Luminous's own, Velgrynd narrowed her eyes and hid her mouth behind her fan.
Anyone who had never met the divine progenitor might have found Luminous's attitude insolent. But Velgrynd, who had personally endured the great catastrophes he had caused more than once in the past, could only think that for his child, this was actually remarkably restrained.
If the divine progenitor himself had been here, the moment he saw Velgrynd and Diablo, he would already have been thinking up some ridiculous way to use them in one of his experiments.
Just like...
"Kuhehehe. The Emperor of the [Empire], the queen of the [Vampires], and even Lord Veldora's sibling all gathered in one place. Why, this is hardly an unworthy setting for Lord Rimuru's arrival."
...that eccentric lunatic openly worshiping Rimuru right beside them where everyone could hear.
"......"
'...But why does it feel like he's looking at me...?'
Half-listening to the exchange between Luminous and Velgrynd while quietly watching the situation with his eyes on the cooling teacup in front of him, Adelio sensed Diablo's gaze fixed on him for some reason.
He had been like that every time they happened to run into each other a few months ago too. For some reason, Diablo seemed oddly conscious of him.
'...Let's just ignore him.'
Nothing good would come from getting involved with that insane eccentric.
He was already in danger of getting entangled with Guy because he was Rudra's reincarnation vessel. The last thing he wanted was to end up forming some kind of connection with Diablo on top of that.
There was no denying that Diablo would be a huge help in the battle tomorrow, but beyond that, the demon Noir was simply too dangerous.
"...Hey, how about we leave it at that and get to the point already?"
In a situation like this, the most effective way out was simple: take the initiative first.
Before Diablo could speak to him, Adelio cut between Luminous and Velgrynd and finally brought up the real reason they had all gathered here.
"You called not just Rimuru, but me too, so there's no way you brought us here just to prepare for a cultural exchange, right? Isn't that so, Luminous?"
It wasn't as though he had wanted it, but as Rudra's reincarnation vessel and the temporary Emperor of the [Empire], Adelio had seen all kinds of political theater and powerful figures. Even without deliberately drawing on memories from his previous life, he could instinctively tell that Luminous had not summoned them for mere diplomacy alone.
"Hmm, you are sharp. If you have already guessed as much, then there is no need to drag this out any longer. As you say, the reason I called you here is that a certain problem has arisen with this exchange."
It was because of the remaining remnants of [The Seven Luminaries].
Luminous began explaining how, not long ago, with Adelio and Rimuru's help, she had killed six of the corrupted [The Seven Luminaries] before the old fools could run wild. Then she moved on to the Rosso family and Gran.
"I have received word that Gran, the Sun Priest, the only one of [The Seven Luminaries] left alive... no, Granbell Rosso... has begun moving again."
As Adelio listened to the information flowing from Luminous's lips, a faint smile touched his face, too slight for anyone around him to notice.
Because everything she was saying right now was...
'Looks like Kondo and Damurada delivered the message properly.'
...the first countermeasure Adelio had deliberately leaked into [Ruberios].
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