Greito remained where he stood with his broad hand resting against the table near the row of ingots. His eyes were on Ludwig, maybe searching for the familiar curl of humor that usually softened his words.
Unfortunately for him, it was absent today. After all, Ludwig was not performing at all. He had simply stated a fact.
"You will intervene?" Greito said slowly, as if he were shaping them carefully before letting them exist.
"Yes. I give you my words." Ludwig nodded, tone as sure as talking about the dinner menu.
Greito's jaw shifted as he absorbed that. The muscles along his neck tightened for a moment, then eased. Outside, wind brushed against the hut's timber walls, and the sound of it seemed louder now that neither of them was speaking.
"Do you understand what that means for you?" Greito continued. "If Tempest is attacked and you appear to defend it, your involvement will not remain contained. Names travel, Lud. And stories… they travel faster."
Ludwig did not argue the point. He simply nodded once as he knew very well about it.
"My involvement here creates more disturbance than my involvement there. Here, I already became a history. But in Tempest, I am just another strong guy."
Greito's eyes lingered on him. For a while, he said nothing. He just reached for the Magisteel again, lifting the ingot and turning it once in his hand.
"You know well that's how a legend starts. If I remember correctly, that's precisely how the legend of the Trickster of Time started." The Minotaur stopped for a moment before placing the Magisteel back to the table. "An adventurer still wet behind his ears punching above his level. Scouted to the Hero's Party and ended the Demon King's reign."
Ludwig twitched at Greito's retelling of his story. No, not because he's embarrassed. More because Claire now leaned closer to the table as soon as his nickname left Greito's mouth.
But before he could steer the conversation to another topic, Claire opened his mouth.
"Trickster of Time? Is that Ludwig's title here?"
Greito's eyes moved towards Claire before Ludwig swore he saw a glint of understanding there.
Contrary to the belief of many, a blacksmith was never a simple creature. They just appeared like that, but in their head, they were quite smart and sharp.
"First, you know he's a hero, right?" Greito asked, amusement could be heard in his tone.
Claire nodded and smirked. "I know about that. Most of the customers in his restaurant also know about that."
Greito let out a deep hum, then he continued. "Trickster of Time is his nickname. A bard gives you that name first, If I remember correctly?"
Ludwig looked at Greito's eyes that landed on him.
"Maybe. I just know people suddenly attach that ridiculous name whenever they call me." Ludwig answered lightly. "Anyway, let's get back to the topic shall we, we don't have all day."
Greito did not let the deflection pass immediately.
He studied Ludwig for another breath, then gave a low grunt that might have been approval or dismissal. It was difficult to tell with him.
"The Trickster of Time didn't have all day. The irony."
Claire's gaze flicked briefly to Ludwig's hands before returning to his face. She did not comment, but the corner of her mouth shifted faintly.
Greito drew one of the oversized mugs closer, though he did not drink from it yet. Instead, he rested both hands on the table, broad fingers splayed against scarred wood.
"You understand what you are offering?" He said, returning to the original thread. "If Tempest stands under your shadow even once, others will measure that shadow. Some will test it."
Ludwig cocked his head to the side when he heard Greito's words. Claire beside her also did the same, but with her eyes.
"Sir Greito, yes?" Claire spoke before long.
The Minotaur shifted his head to the woman before shaking his head. "No need for the Sir. Greito is fine."
"Alright, Greito." Claire said. "You assume if Ludwig helps Tempest, he will become a guardian of Tempest? You are wrong in that."
"I am wrong?" The minotaur asked.
"Yes." Claire nodded. "Even without Ludwig, Tempest has enough strong combatant. So… Ludwig will just be added to the already strong roster of the defender of Tempest."
In his mind, Ludwig nodded at Claire's words. Indeed, Tempest already had quite a roster of defenders. Even though it was nowhere near the level of the future roster where they would have Diablo and the demons with car series names, the story progression of that world would make sure that nothing would befall Tempest anytime soon.
And…
Ludwig had a hunch that it was about time for a certain food loving dragon to crash at Tempest.
Claire continued at that moment. "Strength is relative. But from what I know, Tempest is not a fragile settlement hiding behind walls. It already negotiates with dwarven kingdoms. Its internal structure is also centralized and efficient. Most importantly, its leadership is… proactive."
Greito's brow furrowed slightly. "Proactive."
"They do not wait for pressure to arrive before preparing for it." Claire replied. "Their military is functional. I already made sure of that."
Ludwig leaned back a little in his chair, letting them speak while his fingers traced the rim of his mug.
Greito's gaze returned before looking at Claire again. "And you… You are human, so I assume you are not that leadership of Tempest?"
"I am not." Claire shook her head. "But, I talked a lot with the leadership of Tempest."
Greito didn't answer immediately, he now looked at the ingots on the table, maybe thinking further about the opportunity.
"Greito… They are a rising power." Ludwig opened his mouth. "And, I can trust the leader of Tempest. He has enough morals to not abandon some for the greater good. You know I hate that the most."
"I see." Greito nodded. "A strong enough city or nation that can stand in front of danger even without your help. A place where we would be welcomed and not discriminated against. A place where the kids could grow."
Greito surrendered all of his weight to the back of the sofa. His demeanour was calmer now, not like before where he looked like he could crush them if they even said one word wrong.
"You have never lied in my house when it came to us." Greito added. "So, I'll trust you again. I'll persuade any demons that want to stay, not like I think there would be one because it's you who offer it. But, we still have to talk with them."
Ludwig grimaced at Greito;s word, and Claire now looked at him and Greito. She of course picked up the meaning between the lines.
"That's what I'm afraid of. I rather have some of you guys complaining rather than just accepting it too easily. It's not a small thing you know?"
Greito looked at him, his expression serious. Then, he scoffed. "We are demons. We worship power. And we pay the favour given to us with sincerity. We are not humans who argue every little thing just because they want to."
"That's exactly the problem." Ludwig said pointedly. But not with anger, with exasperation. "Why can't you guys just ask more, like… Why don't you ask about the culture Tempest, about that world's politics, or anything…"
"Culture?" Greito chuckled. "How is that important when we can't even eat and trade peacefully here? We can adapt, just like how we adapt here. Lud, you said it when you moved us here. Survival is the most important thing. The other will follow."
Ludwig dunked all his drinks into his mouth before pouring another serving into it. "Whatever."
They were always like this. Always so accepting with what he did after he helped them relocate from the demon realm. They didn't know it, and Ludwig never told them about it, but it created more burden for him.
He had to think about anything regarding them himself. The demons would just accept it without asking much. Regardless of whether it would put them in danger or not.
Greito leaned back closer to the table before opening his mouth again. "But, I have one thing I want to ask."
Ludwig's attention snapped back to the minotaur, Claire's as well.
"After your talks with Selena, I want to visit the so-called Tempest. Not because I don't trust you, I always trust you. But because I want to feel it beforehand. I want to be a bridge for the other demons to adapt."
Ludwig looked at Greito's frame, yes, that was what he wanted. Not like he was going to just dump them in Rimuru's hand and be done with it, but at least, they would work it amongst themselves.
But before Ludwig could agree, Claire beat him.
"You can visit. But with restrictions."
"Restrictions." He repeated.
Claire nodded once.
"Yes. Not because you are untrustworthy. But because you will not be visiting as a migrant yet. You will be visiting as a representative."
Greito did not interrupt.
"You will not ask about military deployment patterns." She continued calmly. "You will not request detailed numbers regarding standing forces, reserve units, or command hierarchy."
Greito grunted. "Reasonable."
"You will not inquire into treasury reserves, trade margins, or resource stockpile quantities. General trade routes are acceptable. Specific figures are not."
His ears flicked once. "Continue."
"You will not probe internal political disagreements, if any exist. If information is offered voluntarily, you may listen. You will not test anything."
A faint breath left his nose, almost amused.
"You may tour public districts. Forge quarters, markets, integration zones. You may speak with civilians freely. Assess infrastructure. Observe workflow."
Claire paused briefly before finishing.
"You will not enter restricted facilities without explicit invitation. Laboratories. Strategic storage. Command chambers. And you will not frame this visit as a relocation commitment. You are assessing compatibility, not negotiating terms."
The hut grew quiet for a moment after she finished.
Greito considered her words carefully, posture steady. There was no offense in his expression. Only evaluation.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"Isn't all that the standard?"
Claire met his gaze without hesitation.
"Glad you know." She said easily, like they were discussing the weather. "But I am here to make it concrete, not leave it as a vague understanding."
A low sound escaped Greito's chest, something between a chuckle and approval.
"That is how you handle politics, Trickster of Time. I bet you are just going to let me visit without any restrictions, don't you?"
Ludwig's mouth opened and closed several times before he decided to not say anything. Sometimes, silence is gold, and this kind of time was the perfect way to exercise that saying.
Greito's eyes flicked back to Claire, now with a smile on his face. "Glad you are here with him. This guy, he's strong and kind. But… He can be too kind sometimes."
Claire chuckled before taking the mug and moved it closer to her mouth. "To be honest with you, there's too many people like him in the restaurant. I positioned myself as someone who should put a stop to their tendencies before it became a problem for me too."
"What a difficult task you choose." Greito chuckled.
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