(Attendance… plz…)
….
The day was as normal, or not so normal, as it could be.
Reinhard and Benimaru had just gotten their drinks from Shuna and were about to take a sip when Souei appeared behind them. No footstep. No warning. He was simply there like always.
"Benimaru… Reinhard," he said.
Shuna looked past her brother. "Souei! Do you need something to drink as well? I can get it from the kitchen…"
"I appreciate the offer." He shook his head slightly. "But we have an emergency. Several hundreds of winged horses are heading directly toward the town."
Benimaru and Reinhard looked at him. "Did you already…" Benimaru started.
"My body double has already informed Lord Rimuru," Souei said, cutting the question off before it could finish. He'd anticipated it. "I came here specifically to inform you two. Lord Rimuru has asked for you both."
Reinhard stood up. "Thanks, Souei. We'll be there." He finished his drink, handed the empty glass back to Shuna. "Thanks for the drink."
Shuna took it, her smile staying in place even as her eyes shifted with concern. Reinhard glanced at Souei. "Anything else I should know?"
"We don't yet know if they are hostile yet," Souei replied. "But Lord Rimuru has ordered an immediate evacuation of the civilians as a precaution. Just in case."
Reinhard nodded. He didn't know who would be sending a force of winged horses to their location, and he wasn't going to pretend he did. The full picture would come when he got there.
Souei vanished.
Benimaru downed the rest of his drink and handed the glass back. He looked at Reinhard. "What do you think?"
Before Reinhard could answer, Benimaru turned to his sister. "Shuna, can you handle the civilian evacuation? It will cause quite the uproar. They'll need someone calm."
"Of course, Brother." Shuna was already moving, already thinking. She paused just long enough to look back at him. "Please take care of yourself."
Then she looked at Reinhard.
"You too, Reinhard."
Reinhard held her gaze for a moment. He was probably the last person anyone needed to worry about in a fight. He knew that. And Shuna knew his strength well enough to know it too.
Still. He didn't find it annoying.
"Of course," he said. "And… thanks for worrying."
Shuna turned and ran. The two of them started walking toward the center.
…
Benimaru glanced sideways at him. "I know what you were thinking back there."
Reinhard looked at him.
"Something along the lines of, why is she worried for me, when she already knows what I can do." He didn't say it like he was being clever. Just matter-of-fact. "Shuna is not oblivious to your strength."
"Am I really that easy to read?"
"Not at all," Benimaru said, and he meant it. "Most of the time I genuinely have no idea what is going on in your head. But that one you wear plainly." A short pause. "More importantly, this winged horse force. You are technically… officially, the leader of this alliance in the forest. Any Idea?"
Reinhard honestly didn't have any. He hadn't been monitoring the skies or the movements of everyone for that matter like some omniscient being. He dealt with problems when they arrived, and right now the only sensible thing was to get to Rimuru and hear the full picture of the situation.
"How would I know?" he said simply. "I'm not omniscient, Benimaru. You think too much of me sometimes." He glanced ahead. "Whatever it is, it'll be resolved one way or another."
Benimaru was quiet for a moment, then exhaled, something close to a laugh. "Somehow that's more reassuring than it has any right to be."
Reinhard didn't reply. The center was getting closer.
…
Rimuru was at the center of town in his slime form.
He had been enjoying a rare and thoroughly well-deserved moment of doing absolutely nothing when Souei's body double arrived and ruined it.
He had already sent Shion to get Hakurou, and Souei to bring Benimaru and Reinhard.
Oh, how incredibly lucky am I, Rimuru thought, feeling a deep and genuine relief that Reinhard had decided to stay in the town until things settled.
He'd been worried, at first, that Reinhard would hand down a few broad orders about the orcs and then disappear, leaving him and others of the alliances to handle the logistical nightmare by himself.
Those worries had been completely unfounded. Reinhard had stayed, helped wherever he could, and taken a massive load off Rimuru's non-existent shoulders.
In the alliance, no one dared to question Reinhard's requests. His strength was known, the Dryads openly favored him openly, and so problems got solved as fast and quickly they arose.
And now this.
Rimuru turned his attention toward the sky and cranked his Magic Sense all the way up. The skill expanded his awareness across a wide radius, letting him detect magicule concentrations in the surrounding area. He could feel a large cluster approaching from the direction of the Dwarven Kingdom.
Several hundreds, maybe pushing toward a thousand depending on the edges he couldn't fully resolve yet.
As they drew closer, the details sharpened. People on winged horses. Wearing armor. The kind of armor that didn't leave much room for interpretation, polished, uniform, professional. Knights.
By their build and magical signatures, they were human. Or close enough for that matter.
Rimuru thought about it. He didn't recall offending any nation. He hadn't even visited one yet. The only place he'd been was Dwargon, and that was strictly for business, even if that business had ended with him being treated like a criminal and thrown out along with Kaijin and the brothers like criminals, not that he minds.
He didn't think that was enough reason for a full military force.
What if they're just passing through?
He discarded the thought almost immediately. Even if that were true, they would be passing directly over the town. If they decided to attack from that position, the damage would be enormous. His quick call on the evacuation had been the right one.
Hey, Great Sage. Analyze and Assess. Give me what you have.
Understood. Using Analyze and Assess. The knights' individual rank is approximately A-minus. Their flying mounts are also appraised at A-minus. However, their minds are synchronized through training to the point where they may be treated as a single cohesive unit, placing them perhaps slightly above an A overall.
Rimuru processed that quietly.
Yeah. That's a very big problem.
Just as he finished arriving at that cheerful conclusion, two figures came from a side street.
Benimaru and Reinhard, walking at a calm, unhurried pace that somehow still managed to look like they were in complete control of the situation.
Rimuru looked at them. He could very well have called them handsome. They were like those male dance or singer celebrities who perform on stage and then sign copies for fans.
Even in casual clothes, they were far above that level, which sometimes irritated Rimuru to no end, especially since he didn't have a real human body. Whenever he saw the two of them, or others like Souei, he was reminded that he didn't even have a gender.
Rimuru thought, Damn you, Reinhard, Benimaru, and Souei. Wait. It's not time for that.
….
A/N: cough… cough!!!
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