"So, is there a way to lure her away from Rudra?"
If Damien recalled correctly, the Emperor of the Eastern Empire Rudra was the original Hero, wielding the Lord of Justice, one of the Seven Virtues granted by Veldanava.
However, Rudra had been corrupted by the Lord of Justice, which had developed its own consciousness.
As for Rudra's own soul, it had undergone countless cycles of reincarnation to suppress the erosion of the Lord of Justice.
"Beat her up?"
"You're such a loving sister."
"Hehe!"
Looking at Velzard's playful mischief, Damien didn't even know where to begin with his retort.
This woman's mind was full of fighting and destruction.
Had she spent so long in the Ice Continent that her brain froze?
"Forget it, let's leave it at that for now."
Knowing Velgrynd's relationship with Rudra wasn't an unbreakable bond, Damien wasn't worried.
Worst case, he'd help her fulfill her wish to revive the original Hero and then sever that doomed connection.
"Let's go. I'll take you to my kingdom."
After calling the two dragons, Damien picked up Rimuru and turned to Shizu: "Shizu, are you coming with us, or heading straight to the kingdom?"
"I want to resolve that matter as soon as possible, so..."
"No problem."
Damien waved it off with a smile: "Go take care of it. Just come back soon."
"Oh, take this."
Damien handed Shizu a crystal imbued with his magical energy: "It contains my sealed space-time magic."
"Once you find the kids, you can use it to return directly to the Monster Kingdom."
"Thank you so much!"
Taking the crystal, Shizu felt Damien's care even more deeply.
He was genuinely looking out for her.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
"Lord Damien, Miss Rimuru, Miss Velzard, and Sir Veldora."
The Sealed Cave was close to the Kingdom of Blumund... just head west, and you'd soon reach human territory.
Thus, the five parted ways at the cave's entrance.
Before leaving, Damien had Rimuru use her Mimic ability to take on a human girl's appearance.
Perhaps because Rimuru evolved so close to Shizu...
Her human form looked remarkably similar to Shizu's, about 80-90% alike.
Aside from Rimuru's blue hair, the two standing together could pass for twin sisters.
Of course, neither minded.
They got along well, having joined Damien's side one after the other, and their similar appearances only strengthened their sisterly bond.
"Swish!"
Not long after the group split, three figures appeared before them.
"Lord Damien."
Treyni, accompanied by her two sisters, bowed to Damien: "Congratulations on your triumph."
"And Sir Veldora, congratulations on regaining your freedom."
The Great Jura Forest was Veldora's domain.
Many years ago, after the Fairy Queen's departure, the Dryad sisters had nowhere to go.
Thanks to Veldora's hospitality, they settled in the forest.
In return, the three sisters managed the forest for him until he was sealed by the Hero, cutting off contact.
"Dryadgirls! Long time no see!"
"Hm? Your race..."
Veldora rubbed his chin, grinning: "I see! You've joined lil bro's side too, huh?"
"Haha, nice choice! Great taste!"
"..."
The three sisters exchanged glances, quickly catching on.
They were both shocked and delighted by Veldora's addition.
Shocked that Damien had subdued even the legendary Catastrophe.
Delighted that with Veldora's inclusion, the Monster Kingdom's strength soared, making them admire Damien's charisma even more.
"Let me introduce you."
"This is Frost Dragon, Storm Dragon's big sister, the eldest of the True Dragon, Velzard."
Damien added, "Well, now she should be called Frost Dragon God."
"And, like Veldora, she's one of our companions now."
"F-Frost Dragon..."
Though they knew Velzard had been in the forest recently, Treyni and her sisters hadn't dared to spy on her.
This was their first time meeting Velzard.
"Wait!"
"Companions, as in...?"
The three sisters' jaws dropped in shock.
"Yup, exactly what it sounds like."
Damien casually pulled Velzard closer: "From now on, our Monster Kingdom will have two Dragon Gods."
"One as the Anchor, the other as the Destroyer!"
"..."
At that moment, the Dryad sisters felt a bit dazed.
With two True Dragon and the Nine Awakened Demon Lords, including the Eight Kings...
Good grief!
Compared to the Monster Kingdom, who were the real Demon Lords?
"And this one is?"
Treyni, finally calming down, turned her attention to Rimuru.
She was now genuinely wary of Damien dropping another bombshell.
Like, say, this one being a True Dragon too...
"Hi, everyone! I'm Rimuru, a slime!"
Rimuru greeted the three pretty sisters calmly.
"A slime?"
"A slime, as in that slime?"
Trya and Doris couldn't quite grasp Rimuru's meaning.
After confirming that Rimuru was indeed a slime...
Their reaction was almost identical to Shizu's when she first met Rimuru.
It was just too shocking for a slime, of all creatures, to reach Rimuru's level.
"Those magicules... she's just a step away from full awakening, right?"
Treyni marveled inwardly: "As expected of Lord Damien. A single trip, and he brings back such a promising newcomer."
"From now on, Rimuru will be the Monster Kingdom's Great Sage."
The Great Sage and Sages were part of the ministerial system Damien had devised for the Monster Kingdom's cabinet.
It consisted of one Great Sage and multiple Sages.
Their job was to handle all civil, political, and economic affairs when Damien was slacking off.
In short, they were Damien's external brain.
In this strength-driven world...
Damien wasn't worried about being sidelined.
Especially since the Sages, led by Rimuru, would all be his vassals, making betrayal impossible.
"Rimuru."
Damien introduced Treyni to Rimuru: "This is your first colleague, the Monster Kingdom's Sage of State, Treyni."
Besides the Great Sage, other Sages would have specific titles.
For example, Sage of State Treyni.
Her role was to oversee the ecology and resources of the Jura Forest, also serving as the Minister of Agriculture.
***
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)