Seeing that the Ten Great Sages were increasingly leaning towards subjugating Rimuru, Sakaguchi Hinata couldn't help but frown.
The main reason she and Kagurazaka Yuuki separated was due to their differing philosophies.
But Sakaguchi Hinata had never underestimated Kagurazaka Yuuki.
How to put it?
Kagurazaka Yuuki had always been kind to people, and a smile often hung on his face, but she instinctively disliked him.
If even Yuuki suffered a loss, she would become even more vigilant!
Subjugating such a Demon Lord might not be as easy as they imagined.
Sakaguchi Hinata looked at Gelda and asked, "How is Demon Lord Rimuru's character?"
"Character?"
Before Gelda could speak, Sarre of the Azure immediately exploded, not missing any opportunity to badmouth Hinata's.
"Sakaguchi Hinata, what do you mean? Have you forgotten the tenets of our Luminas Church?"
Grigori, who was in cahoots with Sarre, was the first to jump out as well.
"Hinata, as the captain of the Holy Knight Order, you wouldn't stoop to attempting to compromise with heinous monsters, would you?"
Seeing Grigori and Sarre once again teaming up to bully Senior Hinata, Fritz was the first to be unable to sit still.
However, just as he was about to speak, Hinata calmed him down.
Sakaguchi Hinata: "Sarre, Grigori, Demon Lord Milim is in the Dragon Capital. She is willing to accept challenges from any humans and monsters. Why don't you two go subjugate her together!"
Sarre: "..."
Grigori: "..."
Good men don't fight with women, and they don't bother with such women!
Hinata looked at Gelda, "Continue."
Gelda: "Character? I haven't heard any rumors of Rimuru massacring humans on a large scale. On the contrary, she once froze tens of thousands of monsters with a single move, saving humans who were almost lost in a monster tide."
"But because she was dissatisfied with the King and ministers of the Blumund Kingdom, she used Demon Lord's Haki to directly stun all the humans in the entire royal palace—fickle!"
"When she's happy, she should be harmless to humans. But if she's unhappy..."
Everyone: "..."
To entrust the safety of humanity to whether a Demon Lord is happy?
What a joke?!
Did Gelda lie?
Not at all!
These were all facts, verifiable by any means.
But by slightly changing the emphasis and adjusting the order of narration, the subjective impression given to people was completely different.
It must be said that language is truly a profound subject.
The facts were almost the same, but by slightly adjusting the order, the cause and effect were directly reversed.
"Oh, and there's a rumor. An adventurer saw the Orc lord under Rimuru's command."
Boom!
As soon as this news came out, the place erupted again.
The Orc lord, the source of countless pains and disasters for humanity throughout history, was actually Rimuru's subordinate.
In that case, this newly appointed Demon Lord Rimuru was truly ambitious!
What was she planning to do?
Hinata continuously scrutinized Gelda, and after seeing that she didn't seem to be lying, her brow furrowed again.
This was at odds with some of the information she had received!
Moreover, Kagurazaka Yuuki was also involved...
Gelda seemed to recall something and quickly took out a magic crystal.
"Oh, right, Captain Hinata, I got this from a merchant in Blumund. It cost me a lot of money, so you have to reimburse me, Captain!"
Sakaguchi Hinata was speechless. Gelda was good in every way, except she was too greedy.
She was already among the Ten Great Sages, with an incredibly generous salary, yet she still haggled over every penny.
Taking the magic crystal from Gelda's hand, an image immediately began to play.
The scene flowing within it was Rimuru using Demon Lord's Haki to intimidate the King and ministers.
Although these images flashed by quickly, Sakaguchi Hinata's eyes instantly narrowed.
And her hand immediately clenched into a fist.
She would never mistake that face!
Shizue-sensei? Damn it!
A few seconds later.
Sakaguchi Hinata looked up, "Everyone, get ready. We will choose to subjugate Demon Lord Rimuru!"
"Yes!"
All the Sages rose, expressing the importance of the Demon Lord subjugation mission with the most solemn ceremony of the Holy Church.
Seeing Sakaguchi Hinata's resolute face, Gelda couldn't help but smile.
The gold coins were in hand!
Although she felt a little sorry for Hinata, she didn't want to feel sorry for herself even more.
What reason was there to turn down gold coins that were practically delivered to her doorstep?
Demon Lord Rimuru?
What if she was just one step away from awakening?
Sakaguchi Hinata's strength was even superior!
Her abilities were not just for show; if struck seven times in a row, even a spiritual body would be killed!
Hinata's ultimate skill was the bane of all monsters in the world!
As for Rimuru, she could only blame herself for offending a super-rich individual!
Falmus Kingdom.
A major commercial nation guarding the intersection of the Jura Great Forest and the Western nations.
Royal Palace.
At this moment, King Demaris Falmus said in disbelief, "What did you say? A new nation controlled by monsters has appeared in the Jura Great Forest? And it has stolen a large amount of profit that rightfully belongs to us?"
Minister of Commerce: "Yes, King. According to the information I received, the Demon Country Federation's tax rate is less than one-tenth of the Kingdom's. In less than a month, we have already lost more than one hundred thousand gold coins. And this amount will increase significantly; after the New Year, our tax revenue will lose no less than ten million gold coins!"
Clap!
The Old King slammed his hand on the table, "Ten million gold coins? How dare they?! Are those adventurers fools? Do they dare to believe monsters' words?"
"This... this..."
The Minister of Commerce's forehead was sweating, but he finally gritted his teeth and revealed the truth, "Your Majesty, I have a copy of the 'rimuru code' that I obtained from an adventurer. Please take a look!"
"rimuru code"?
The King was puzzled. What was this thing again?
Could it have such great power to make humans and demonoids put aside their prejudices?
King Demaris's face immediately changed color after only reading the opening declaration.
"All people are equal, whether human or demonoid, all enjoy the same rights. Private property is sacred and inviolable. Wind may enter, rain may enter, but the King may not enter. Heresy! Heresy! Heresy!"
What a joke?
Kings were Kings, nobles were nobles, and commoners were commoners!
How could everyone be equal?
Indeed, they were despicable monsters, with no King, no nobles, no hierarchy in their eyes. They must be killed!
"Guards! Declare the 'rimuru code' as taboo! Anyone who dares to print, spread, or read this demonic book shall be dragged to the market and hanged!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Seeing the King furious, all the ministers were as silent as cicadas in winter.
Some ministers who had read the "rimuru code" had their backs drenched in sweat.
"Mobilize the army! I shall personally lead the expedition!"
"As you command!"
Unbeknownst to Rimuru, the panic caused by the "rimuru code" compiled by Ciel was hundreds of times more severe than she had imagined.
Not only the Falmus Kingdom, but many Western countries, and even the East Empire, were shaken by it.
After immediately declaring the "rimuru code" as taboo, they also regarded Rimuru as a thorn in their side, wishing to eliminate her quickly.
Upon receiving confirmation of the news, Kagurazaka Yuuki couldn't help but smile.
The plan, at last, was halfway successful!
It was not in vain that he spent a great deal to spread the "rimuru code" throughout the major nations.
Since Rimuru refused to make a move, then Rimuru should be prepared for what's coming!
Among Shizue-sensei's students, only Sakaguchi Hinata earned Yuuki's respect.
As for the others...
It seemed that because of Shizue-sensei, Rimuru also held Chloe and the others in high regard.
Could he use them to his advantage?
A skilled chess player, even a mere pawn, can play a crucial role.