The place Souei and his Dragonewt subordinates brought him was a building Ludwig was familiar with. It was precisely in this building that the agreement about relocating demonkin from Ortus was reached. It was also a building where Claire got her name from Rimuru.
When the door to the same room from before opened, he could see all the important figures of Tempest sitting around the table. Across from them sat people he had seen in the treaty signing ceremony before; the entourage of Dwargon.
As soon as he stepped into the room, he could feel the gaze from the Dwargon's group on his skin. Even without thinking much, it was easy enough to make an educated guess as to why they did so. He would have done so if he were in their shoes.
"King Gazel." Ludwig let the name land first before he moved.
He then brought his right foot back, heel touching the inside of his left foot at the arch, before lowering himself with his back straight and his head inclined forward. His right hand came to rest flat against his chest at the same time, and he held the position for two full seconds before rising back up.
That much time should be enough to send them his message. He acknowledged his rank, but by no means was he his subordinates who would happily do what he wanted them to. A few of the Dwargon entourage shifted in their seats. One of them leaned slightly toward the person beside him. Yet, Gazel himself watched without moving.
To drive his point home to Dwargon's entourage, Ludwig shifted his gaze to Rimuru before relaxing all of his body and letting out a smile. "Why are you calling me here, friend?"
The atmosphere around the room visibly shifted. He could even hear Claire sighing from behind. He kept himself from chuckling at how his mind gave him the image of her putting her palm on her face and shaking her head quietly.
As if waking up from a trance, Rimuru jolted in his seat. A smile then bloomed on his face. "The envoys of Dwargon here have something to talk with you. But before that starts, come here."
Rimuru signalled the two empty seats on his left. Ludwig looked back at Claire for a moment before walking there as she nodded to him. The chair scraped under his action, then it creaked a little when he put his body on it.
With his fingers interlacing on top of the table in front of him, he opened his mouth. "May I ask what you want to talk to a mere chef like me?"
But rather than letting his eyes land on anyone who looked like they had the highest authority aside from the king, his eyes just went straight to the king of Dwargon, who was sitting there with his arms crossed.
The atmosphere around the room shifted again. A few of the entourage from Dwargon whispered to those closest to them. He could even feel a bloodlust from a big guy in black armour who stood behind the king.
But to be honest, he couldn't care less about their reaction. He had annoyed him enough by calling him here, even when they used Rimuru as intermediaries. Even if it was Rimuru who called him here without them asking, he would still get annoyed by that friend of his. He was just here to see the ceremony, so why suddenly called into a meeting?
And to those who thought they could do so to anyone, it's best to start strong. He had made enough concessions with Konoha, no more should be given.
Probably also feeling the tension, King Gazel raised one of his hands. The bloodlust left the room in an instant, and the whispers also stopped.
"It seemed like we caught you at a bad time."
Ludwig let out a chuckle that filled the room. Only after he was done with it did he answer. "Rimuru invited me to see the signing ceremony last night. There's no meeting with the king in the invitation, so yes, you caught me at a bad time. Lunch is just starting, I should be in my restaurant, but here I am."
He could feel his friends beside him looking at him. But they were not the only ones; everyone from Tempest was also looking at him with wide eyes.
Then came the answer from Gazel. "It seems like I have to apologise to you. I assume you are closing your restaurant for the day since Rimuru told me you are coming. Sorry once again."
"Apologize will—"
Before he could finish his words, he felt a hand falling onto his shoulder. At the same time, Claire's voice reached his ears. "I know very well why you are annoyed. But you are being difficult now. Relax."
Those words, coupled with her hand, felt like cold water to him. He quickly closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He was annoyed, yes. But he was also trying to prick anyone who tried to get to him like a hedgehog.
If he kept being like this, the conversation wouldn't start. Meaning, the time here would truly be a waste of time. He had sacrificed the time he could use to teach the duo who were embarking on a journey to become chefs to come here, so if this time truly became wasted, he would soon get annoyed by himself.
With another sigh, he opened his eyes. "Yes, apology accepted then. Let's go to the main topic on why I was called here now."
"Let's." Gazel nodded.
He then started with his experience from last night, how he came to a restaurant that had a different aura before and after he entered it. Then he continued with the people there as well as the beast that had no shred of magicule as well as Rimuru's explanation about the place.
He then went on about the food, about the drinks, about the atmosphere and whatnot. But that didn't blindside Ludwig on what he really wanted to talk about. Sure enough, Gazel finally talked about the crux of the matter of why he was called here right now.
"With a place like yours, there's a risk of this world being invaded by other worlds. I just want to ask how you will prevent that from happening."
Ludwig kept his silence after hearing the words that came out of Gazel's mouth. He even rechecked things, trying to make sure he heard it correctly. After he was sure that he hadn't misheard it, he looked to his right.
Rimuru had his back squarely on the backrest. His eyes had become unfocused. At the same time, he was looking at the ceiling rather than at the group from Dwargon. That was enough of a tell that he was not expecting things to be like this. Also, he was probably asking the Great Sage about how to resolve this matter.
When Ludwig looked to his left, he saw Claire looking straight back at him. But unlike Rimuru's eyes, her eyes were clear without a hint of a shake. And he knew well why. She was going to support whatever choice he made here.
He let a long breath out again before closing his eyes. He tried once again to calm his mind before he said anything. Otherwise, he knew he would say something that he would regret later down the line.
But the more he reassured himself that the question was not an attack but just a valid question, the more the whisper from the past came to him. It was from young Ludwig at the start of the war.
The young Ludwig who felt nothing mattered besides one's strength.
The young Ludwig who felt that as long as he grew strong, everything would be fine.
The young Ludwig who saw Kings and Emperors as mere humans born with the lucky fate and ability to craft words.
The whisper promised him a refreshing ending if he did it. He had promised Konoha was the last time he would make such a massive concession, so why not take this chance to establish that he was not someone to look down upon?
He entertained the whisper. But at the same time, he also felt it.
If this conversation had taken place in different circumstances, his response wouldn't be as strong as this. Even if the people from Dwargon came to him right after they finished the ceremony, he would just take it easy on them.
But his mood was already foul enough.
One part was because he had to be here rather than in his restaurant. The other part was because of the fact he couldn't teach more tricks to that duo due to time constraints
So he made a choice.
His mana, or maybe magicules shot out from him in a violent gust. Deep blue colour instantly painted the room. At the same time, the lamp around the room flickered, and the table and wall let out a cracking sound.
His trusted white sword then flickered into reality right beneath where his hands rested. The reality then cracked, and time started to become chaotic.
"I have danced to that tune before." Ludwig's voice came in an even manner, the complete opposite of what he had caused. "What if I say I will not stop anyone who wants to come to this world? What are you going to do next?"
As soon as he finished saying so, another wave of magicules filled the room. This time, it came from Gazel. Right after, his bodyguard and some of his entourage also flared their power, trying to push Ludwig's away.
But just as he thought about cranking his power more, he heard a sigh from his left.
Right after, a sharp magic made its entrance. But that's not all, more colour appeared inside the bluish room. Those colours came from runic engravings that suddenly appeared in the air.
He smiled at it. After all, there's only one person here who could do so.
It was Claire.
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