"I'm just offering a little speculation."
"After all..."
Yuuki Kagurazaka smiled. "I'm worried that Shizu-sensei might have been deceived by someone bad!"
In just a few words, Yuuki had devised a war plan involving multiple nations targeting the Jura Forest.
His ability was indeed impressive.
However, the two were unaware that every word they spoke was being monitored by a certain will, relayed verbatim to Damien.
"Damien..."
"I know."
Damien listened to Violet's report.
Not only Yuuki's side but also the schemes of various nations and major powers regarding the forest were all under Damien's control.
"Hinata Sakaguchi, huh?"
"In the original story, the first woman to push Rimuru to the brink."
Hinata was the leader of the Ten Great Saints of the Holy Empire of Ruberios and the right-hand woman of Demon Lord Luminous.
Her strength was equivalent to that of an True Demon Lord without an Ultimate Skill... and among them, she was at the very top.
Thus, Yuuki's judgment wasn't entirely wrong.
If the Demon Lord born in the forest was an ordinary True Demon Lord without an Ultimate Skill, Hinata's power could indeed pose a threat.
"Unfortunately..."
Damien chuckled to himself. "One Hinata isn't enough to take on the current Jura Forest."
"Violet."
"Here!"
"Proceed with our original plan."
Damien was eager to see Yuuki's schemes unfold. He was practically hoping some forces would actively attack the forest.
The Kingdom of Falmuth's 20,000 troops? Not enough.
Damien wanted more!
"I hope Yuuki Kagurazaka can step up and expand that army to 50,000, or even 100,000."
Damien recalled that in the original story, the Kingdom of Falmuth had attacked the Jura Tempest Federation twice.
The first time triggered Rimuru's awakening.
Then the king abdicated, and a new king took over.
But soon, spurred by the kingdom's nobles, the new king declared war on the Jura Tempest Federation again, ultimately leading to Falmuth's downfall.
This meant the kingdom's forces were far more than just 20,000 elite soldiers!
"20,000 elite soldiers were enough to support Rimuru's awakening."
Damien mused, "If it's 100,000, five awakening slots would be enough to push the Monster Kingdom's strength even further."
"And after that?"
Violet asked how Damien planned to deal with the Kingdom of Falmuth.
In the original story, after Falmuth's fall, Rimuru supported the hero Youm to become the new king.
Youm, originally a thug from a count's territory in the kingdom, was tasked by the count to lead a border investigation team to explore the Jura Forest.
After Rimuru defeated the Orc Lord, to ease human concerns, she proposed making Youm a hero, claiming he and his companions defeated the Orc Lord.
In other words, it was about crafting a hero image to combat monsters, reducing fear of the Jura Tempest Federation.
Damien wouldn't do that.
What did human opinions matter to him?
He was hoping humans would unite and launch a full-scale attack, so all his subordinates could awaken as True Demon Lords.
Of course, Youm's investigation team had occurred in Damien's timeline too.
Shortly after Treyni enveloped the forest in her abilities, the count of the nearest noble territory gathered a bunch of idle thugs, rogues, and even prisoners from his land.
It was clear this so-called investigation team was a suicide mission.
Youm and a group of ordinary people with little combat experience were sent to probe the forest's monsters.
However, unlike the original story, Youm's team wasn't so lucky.
They didn't meet Ellen's party, so they never got introduced to Shizue or connected with Damien.
The investigation team encountered the forest's monsters.
By the time Treyni noticed, only ten of them were left alive, and Youm wasn't among them.
"Well, just a minor character."
Damien had little fondness for Youm.
This guy had been coddled and groomed by Rimuru, gaining glory, power, and love.
Yet when Clayman controlled Mjurran and attacked the Jura Tempest Federation, causing countless deaths, Youm turned against Benimaru for Mjurran... his so-called love.
In Damien's eyes, Youm was nothing but an ungrateful wretch.
As he'd once heard: You lost a few subordinates, but I lost my love!
So, Damien felt no pity for Youm's death.
"As for that Mjurran, I wonder if she'll still come to explore the forest."
"She's already on her way."
"She's coming?"
Damien was slightly surprised. After a moment's thought, he said, "When she enters the forest, have Treyni take action."
"Kill her?"
"No, just restrain her."
Damien didn't have much ill will toward Mjurran.
Unlike Youm, she hadn't received any favors from Rimuru or the Monster Kingdom, so her opposing them was justifiable.
Moreover, Mjurran was under Clayman's control.
Her heart was in his grasp, and he could kill her at any moment.
In such a situation, following Clayman's orders was only natural.
"As long as we break Clayman's control over her, it'll be easy to bring her to our side."
Mjurran felt only hatred for Clayman, not loyalty.
No one forced to carry out dangerous tasks under threat of death would feel any sense of belonging.
Plus, Mjurran had considerable talent in internal affairs.
She'd be perfect to assist Rimuru with administrative duties.
"As for the Kingdom of Falmuth..."
Damien decided to let Artoria and other human-leaning subordinates govern it.
He wouldn't follow Rimuru's approach.
But outwardly, Damien didn't want the humans of the Central World to see the Monster Kingdom as a monstrous threat.
"In the future, this kingdom's territory will serve as the part of the Monster Kingdom open to the outside world."
"In contrast, the Jura Forest will be the Monster Kingdom's private garden."
That was Damien's plan for now. "That's why I want Yuuki Kagurazaka to step up."
Only if the war was intense enough could Damien justifiably purge the kingdom's nobles.
That would clear the way for Artoria to govern freely.
***
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