After Milim's departure, several months passed in the blink of an eye.
Before Emiya Shirou realized it, he had already been in this world for nearly a year.
If it were his past self, this would have been completely unacceptable.
Back then, he had always been anxious about the flow of time between worlds, worried that Miyu and the others might be dragged back into their original world before he could return. That concern had never truly left him.
But as his strength increased, his control over Distant Hourglass grew steadily stronger as well.
After reaching LV.6, time in his original world had completely stopped.
He could now remain in other worlds without worry.
"So that's how it is," Shirou said with a smile after hearing Rimuru's report. "Sending envoys to each other to assess whether an alliance is truly beneficial."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"It means the other side genuinely wants to form an alliance with us."
After all, a real alliance required mutual exchange.
If only one side benefited, the relationship would never last.
"Yes! That's exactly what I think too!"
Rimuru lay sprawled across the table in her slime form, unable to suppress her excitement.
She had originally been reviewing documents and handling city affairs that day.
As the city continued to expand and the road connecting them to the Dwarf Kingdom was completed, the City of Emiya was becoming increasingly lively. Along with that growth came an endless stream of new tasks.
Many decisions still required her, as the leader, to personally sign off on them.
She had just finished one batch of work and was about to take a short break when Souei's message arrived.
Envoys from the Beast Kingdom had appeared.
After hearing the details directly from those envoys, Rimuru's excitement had skyrocketed.
"Since Shirou and I agree," Rimuru said, "the next step is choosing who we'll send as our envoy."
She fell into thought.
"What's there to hesitate about?" Shirou said casually. "Benimaru is the obvious choice."
"Eh? Brother?"
Shuna couldn't help but let out a small exclamation.
At the moment, only Emiya Shirou, Rimuru, Shion, and Shuna were present in the meeting room.
Rimuru had only called Shirou over for the discussion.
Shion, as Rimuru's secretary, naturally remained at his side.
As for Shuna, she was currently serving as Emiya Shirou's secretary.
As time passed, the military system gradually became standardized, no longer requiring Shirou's constant personal oversight. He had since shifted much of his focus toward logistics and craftsmanship.
Shuna was one of the key figures in that domain.
On top of that, she frequently discussed magic-related techniques with Shirou.
Eventually, she requested to become his secretary.
Shirou had seen no reason to refuse.
After all, if Rimuru had a secretary, why shouldn't he?
"That's right," Shirou said without hesitation. "For something like this, the envoy has to be someone both sides trust completely."
"Among our subordinates, the strongest and highest-ranking individual would be Benimaru, wouldn't he?"
The Monster Federation was now composed of multiple demon races.
First were the goblins, who had joined from the very beginning.
Their representatives included Rigurd, the Goblin King, as well as Rigur, Gobta, and others.
Next came the orcs, the most numerous group, led by Orc Lord Geld.
Then there were Gabiru and his sister Soka, who joined after the Orc Disaster subjugation and evolved into Dragonoid demons.
Finally, there were the Kijin.
Smallest in number.
Strongest in combat.
Benimaru and the others-only six when they first joined-were unquestionably the strongest group among them all.
Any one of the six could match, or even surpass, the representatives of the other races.
Benimaru himself was the son of the former Ogre chief.
After inheriting that role, he led the remaining five to seek out Rimuru, eventually joining the Monster Federation through a twist of fate.
At this point, he was effectively the third-in-command.
With Rimuru as leader and Emiya Shirou being human, neither of them was particularly suited for diplomatic missions.
That made Benimaru the most appropriate choice.
"Benimaru, huh," Rimuru said. "Yeah. There really isn't anyone else."
From a strength perspective alone, the envoy was bound to be one of the Kijin.
Kurobe was focused on logistics.
Hakurou was elderly.
Souei handled covert operations.
Shion was Rimuru's secretary.
All of them were unsuitable.
That left only Benimaru and Shuna.
Within the current hierarchy of the Monster Federation, if Benimaru was third-in-command, then Shuna-former princess of the Ogre race-was undoubtedly fourth.
Between the two, both Rimuru and Shirou favored Benimaru.
"Then it's decided," Rimuru said.
After exchanging a glance with Shirou, the choice was finalized.
Benimaru would serve as envoy.
Once Benimaru was confirmed, the remaining arrangements proceeded smoothly.
Rigur was appointed as Benimaru's deputy, accompanying him to the Beast Kingdom.
The selection of additional personnel and preparation for the mission were carried out in an orderly fashion under the coordination of Shuna and Vesta.
After all, this wasn't a one-sided visit.
The Beast Kingdom's envoys would also be arriving at the Monster Federation.
Proper preparations were essential.
At times like this, Vesta's value truly shone.
Having once served as a minister in the Dwarf Kingdom, he was a professional in matters of diplomacy and protocol.
While everyone else worked tirelessly to prepare for the exchange of envoys, Rimuru and Emiya Shirou were no less busy.
They, too, had preparations to make.
As the dual rulers of the Monster Federation, their appearance mattered.
This was a major diplomatic occasion.
They needed to present themselves with dignity.
"Hm. Yeah, this looks better."
Shirou smiled openly as he looked at Rimuru.
She was wearing a red cloak, her hair tied into a single ponytail.
"Why didn't I think of this hairstyle before?" he said.
Rimuru now gave off the air of a cute girl, and Shirou found himself increasingly satisfied.
"Rimuru," he added, "you should keep this hairstyle from now on."
"It's way cooler than wearing your hair down."
"Is that so?"
Rimuru looked at her reflection in the mirror.
She was also quite pleased.
Her usual attire already leaned toward femininity, and without realizing it, her aesthetic sense had been gradually changing.
"Of course, Lord Rimuru!"
"That's right, Lord Rimuru!"
With both Shion and Shuna voicing their agreement, Rimuru smiled.
"Then it's settled," she said. "From now on, I'll wear my hair in a single ponytail."
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