Chapter 12: Despair and Hope
In the great mountains of Fulbrosia, in the capital of Jia, a great disaster nearly took place one day. Everyone for miles was suddenly onset by a massive, soul crushing pressure; the ones to weak to resist it simply fainted, but those who did resist it wished they did not, for it simply caused them greater discomfort.
The pressure was emanating from within the Royal Palace belonging to Queen Frey, from one of her guests rooms. Inside were two people: one was Frey, trying very hard to stay on her feet so close to the source; the other, from which the pressure was coming from, was Milim Nava, looking like a raging storm, face contorted in indescribable rage
-'I will kill them ALL!' she shouted; her voice reverberated with power unlike anything Frey had ever sensed before in her entire existence. The Sky Queen had always knew, ever since first meeting the seemingly child-like Demon Lord, that she could not ever hope to even compare herself with her; the gap was so ludicrous, so overwhelming, that it was madness to even think she could. Even so, she now realized something far worse: the power she though Milim had was but a drop in the ocean to what she actually had; the gap between them was beyond even what she imagined; incomprehensible. And now, she was staring it right in its face.
She knew when she heard from Clayman that nothing good would happen, but even so she felt it was her duty to tell the girl about the attack on Rimuru and Tempest. The result was now obvious.
Milim was furious; she was waiting in her guest room in Frey's castle and doing her best to fulfill her promise, when Frey came in, looking very, very unnerved. Scared, even. And then she told her that Clayman- or rather, the one they suspected to be working with Clayman- had orchestrated an attack on Rimuru. From what Clayman knew, the slime was already dead. Hearing that, Milim's heart froze over with grief; an image of a dead dragon flashed in her mind, and the ice was replaced with a burning, searing anger. A second later, she could feel herself losing control, but she did not care. She though about the slime in Tempest, all the fun they had, the warm welcoming she was given; how Rimuru had told her that he loved her. In over two thousand years, no one before had ever said that to her. Until that quiet moment on the roof...and now, Frey told her that he was gone.
For two thousand years, she tried very hard to keep her rage in check; despite what some said about her, the fact was she had always held back more than they would ever understand; afraid of what she would do if she didn't. Afraid of herself. And now, hearing what the harpy said, she could feel her control slipping and she just didn't care. She was looking forward to letting go and turning those responsible to ash. She felt as her aura began crushing everything around her, cracking the walls and floor and tears flowing down her cheeks...but as she looked over at Frey, who was barley able to still stay conscious, she felt another distant memory...and began bringing her aura back into her body.
Frey wobbled on her feet as she looked at Milim, who was crying and had a guilty look on her face. Realizing just how much pain she must have been in, she ignored her own body's screams of protest and moved forward until she was right in front of her. Milim, somewhat confused, continued to look at her; suddenly, Frey brought her into a hug. In a flash, the aura and pressure vanished.
-'I'm sorry...' Milim said through sobs 'I didn't...I didn't mean to...' she tried to say but Frey just held her tighter
-'It's okay.' she said softly 'You don't need to be sorry...' hearing that, Milim lost most of what composure she had left and cried into her chest.
-'I...can't loose...him too...' she barley managed to get the words out through her tears. Frey didn't ask what 'too' meant; she didn't want to make her recall even more sad memories up 'I can't...' Milim tried to continue but all she could do was keep crying
-'Milim, listen to me...' Frey said as she grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes 'listen...' Milim seemingly calmed down just enough to listen, so she continued 'Rimuru loves you, right?' she asked. Milim blinked some tears away, thinking
-'That's what he said...' she answered, breathing a bit heavy 'he said...'
-'Then you have to believe in him.' Frey continued with a firm voice 'that he would not die and abandon you so easily.'
Milim listened to what the harpy said, and her heart, though just a bit, stopped hurting; she nodded 'I believe...' she eventually said 'I do...but...' Frey brought her back into a hug
-'I know.' she said to Milim 'but just hold onto that belief.' Milim nodded.
She nodded, and resolved her heart; she would see Rimuru again, she was convinced of that, and she would never let him go, ever. She would hold onto him and together they would be happy. And anyone who got in the way of that would suffer before they died.
'I did this...' was all that could be heard in Rimuru's mind for what felt like an eternity. 'I did this!' he ignored all the calls of the others trying to divert blame from him, but he refused. He decided he would embrace his guilt.
-'This is my doing...' a voice broke through his dazzled, guilt ridden mind. He turned to the source, Mjulan, who continued 'If I had not used my anti-magic field, none of this would have happened.' she said. Hearing that, Rimuru could feel something other than guilt rise up within him: rage. A dark shadow fell over his face and many in the nearby crowd had to take a step back as a surge of magicules erupted around him. Mjulan, however, looked perfectly calm, continuing to look at him; he realized she had resigned herself to whatever fate he had in store for her. He extended his right arm towards her
-'Wait, boss!' he could hear Yohm protest, being held back by one of his men 'Listen, please!' however, as much as he wanted to, he could not listen. His body continued to move. He gathered some magicules in his palm...
Notice... he was suddenly stopped by the Great Sage's voice resounding in his mind Estimated that the barrier placed outside the town had a far greater effect than the one placed inside by individual Mjulan. it said. With a sudden realization, he stopped. The overflowing aura vanished, as did the rage penetrating his mind. 'Calm down. She was trying to goad me into killing her...' he though 'She was trying to prevent blame from landing on Yohm and Grucius for protecting her? Why? Was it...' his own mind suddenly flashed a picture of a certain red-haired girl with a wide smile 'Ah, I see...' he though as he looked between Mjulan, Yohm and Grucius. No way he could be mad now. Annoyed, yes, but now that he had a better grasp on what was going on, he at least could understand where they stood. He sighed.
-'That was close...' he said 'Mjulan, was it? I will deal with you later. I am placing you under house arrest.' he said as he turned to Yohm and Grucius 'You two...I promise to be fair.' he told them. They looked worried, but also trusting. A group of hobgoblin wold riders began escorting the three away to Mjulan's room. As they were leaving, he turned to the councilors present in the square
-'Okay, I want a detailed report. No holding back for my sake, got it?' he said, and they looked only to reluctantly agree.
-'Then, may I join?' a familiar voice said. He turned around and saw that it was Mjollmile, the merchant he had recruited in Brumund and saved in Ingrassia from a dragon.
-'Ah, I see you're here too, Mjollmile?' he told the man through a forced smile 'Bit of a bad time to be doing shopping, I'm afraid...' he tried to joke. For his part, the merchant offered a weak smile
-'Heh, even a dragon could not scare me away from a good deal, Sir Rimuru!' Mjollmile joked back 'But I guess this is different...' he said as he cast a glance at the rows of bodies 'In any case, I had recently been elected to represent the human merchants that you allowed to do busyness here; I would like to be present to your talks, maybe offer a different view on what happened.' hearing that, Rimuru cast his gaze at a number of human assembled some distance behind Mjollmile, a collection of adventurers and merchants.
-'Okay, follow me.' he said.
Once they had all moved into his office, Benimaru began explaining what had transpired before Rimuru's arrivar.
Earlier that day, a group of three travelers- two men and a woman, arrived in the city in a small caravan of merchants. Once inside the city, the woman accused Gobza- one of Gobta's underlings- of having harassed her, even trying to use a unique skill to incite the people around her; however, Shuna used her own skill to cancel her's out, at which point the two men joined in and from there it escalated into a fight between them, Shion and Hakuro. Then the two barriers were erected, and about a hundred royal knights from the nearby kingdom of Falmuth stormed into the city. Upon seeing the monsters fighting the three humans, the leader of the knights shouted about how they came to investigate the nation of monsters only to find innocent humans being assaulted, then began cutting down everything in their path, sparing no one, not even children. As they left, he announced that an army of Falmuth and the the Western Holy Church will arrive within one week to subjugate the city. Apparently, the king of Falmuth himself, Kind Edmaris, will be leading it. Then they left.
-'...What a joke.' Rimuru said as Benimaru finished his report. 'This was obviously a set up; if their army is just a week away from us, they had already decided on invading us for a while. Those three must have been their agents, trying to make up an excuse...'
-'Yes, I believe so too.' Shuna said from behind him. As he turned to look at her, she continued 'Based on their unique skills, they were likely otherworlders.' she explained.
-'Otherworlders, huh?' Rimuru said lowly 'That makes little difference to us. In any case, while I understand the Church's position, what I don't quite get is why Falmuth gains from this?'
-'If I may...' Mjollmile said 'Their reason is part of what I wanted to talk about.' he said as he stepped forward from where he was standing.
-'Go ahead, Mjollmile.' Rimuru said.
-'Right. You see, Falmuth has always been a prosperous trading hub, especially between the Armed Nation of Dwargon and the other Western Nations. The Jura Forests has always been too dangerous with all the monsters roaming about, and the northern sea route is even worse; going through Falmuth was the only viable way for the majority of western merchants. Taxation of those merchants made the kingdom rich. But...' he continued as everyone in the room gave his their full attention 'with the rise of Tempest, that is no longer the case. You pacified the forest, built a road for easy access... the new trade route is safer, quicker and with much lower taxes. Falmuth will lose out massively in the long run; they see you as a rival, though I imagine they would rather subjugate you than eliminate you...' he finished his explanation, looking around to see everyone's reaction.
Rimuru carefully considered Mjollmile's explanation 'So this whole thing...is just greed?' he said with barley contained disgust and anger 'I see...I never intended to run roughshod with the arrangements of neighbors, but I am just an amateur at this stuff...I suppose this really is my fault...'
-'I'm afraid so...' the merchant said 'but please, do not misunderstand, sir Rimuru.'
-'Huh?' Rimuru looked at him confused
-'I was merely describing the background that informs Falmuth's motives. I wasn't trying to make judgement of their actions.' he explained 'First of all, its rather strange that they did not run this through the Council of the West. As you said, the first three humans were likely saboteurs, intended to stir up a motive they can sell to the general public. In any case...right now, I stand before you representing the human merchants, traders and adventurers staying in the city. We are all in agreement: we will stand with you against Falmuth!' he said with conviction as the other humans assembled behind him nodded in agreement 'Weapons, supplies, we will provide with whatever we can...'
-'I'm an adventurer from Blumund...' one of the adventurers said as he took a step forward 'this city has been my base of operations for some time. If you take me, I will join your fight!' 'Me too!' 'And me!' a number of adventurers shouted.
Rimuru looked at them in appreciation 'That's comforting....' he though 'However...'
-'While your offers are very much appreciated...' he said as he stood in front of the gathered humans 'I will have to decline. Thank you very much for your offer...' he said with a small bow 'but we need to take care of this ourselves.'Besides which, if something were to happen to any of you, Falmuth and the Church would just use it as an example to stir up people against us.' he explained to them; though they did not seem to like that idea, they also nodded in understanding. 'There is something you can do for me, though...'
-'Anything you want, boss.' Mjollmile said.
-'Thank you. Basically, I want you to return home and support our side of the story if it comes down to it. Do you think you can do that?'
The humans nodded one by one in agreement. 'Thank you. Now, please gather your things and meet me in the central square. I will send you off with a spell...'
-'Send us off with magic? Why not just walk...' one of the merchants asked, but was interrupted by the first adventurer to offer help
-'We are unnecessary witnesses, that's why.' he said in realization 'Falmuth probably has those troops that attacked watching the road leading west. They would not hesitate to kill us, would they?' he asked no one in particular; most seemed to grasp the meaning of his words quickly though, looks of disgust clear on their faces. Rimuru nodded.
-'Indeed' Rimuru agreed 'I doubt they actually give a damn about other humans. They'll kill you all with no remorse. That's why, I will send you off myself.'
A little time later, in the town square, he opened up a teleportation port to Blumund for all the humans to use. Mjollmile was the last to leave, saying he would get word of what really went on in Tempest to all who would listen. As the portal closed, he had Rigurd take him to the injured.
Both Gobta and Hakuro were among those that were gravely injured but survived. As he entered, he saw them both lying on beds, bleeding heavily. Shuna had left his office to continue helping out with and greeted him there. As he stepped closer to the two, she said 'One of the three humans had a spatial-type skill. Healing spells and even our full potions have no effect...'
Rimuru approached Hakuro and placed a hand on his shoulder. After some brainstorming, he had an idea 'Great Sage, can I use Gluttony to consume the effects of the spatial kill?'
Confirmed the sage informed. A second later, a black mist surrounded the old ogre. A second later, his wounds were healed (he had placed some of his own full potion while using Gluttony).
-'My thanks, Sir Rimuru...' Hakuro said. While Rimuru went to heal Gobta too, the ogre continued 'Though it shames me to have ended up in such state...'
-'Don't worry about it' Rimuru said as he healed Gobta 'It wasn't your fault.' With a jolt, Gobta woke up, patting himself to check for injuries. Then he was stupid enough to call Hakuro an 'old geezer.' Predictably, he almost ended up requiring more healing. Rimuru and Shuna stood on the side, snickering
-'What troublemakers...' he said jokingly 'Speaking of 'troublemaker'...anyone seen Shion around? She wasn't...' his words were interrupted by a heavy atmosphere that descended on the room. He looked around at everyone avoiding eye contact. 'Guys?' he asked, sounding more like a lost child than the leader of a monster nation 'Benimaru...where is she?'
The ogre said nothing and merely motioned for him to follow. As he did so outside the building and through the town, a feeling of dread assaulted him. Then it turned to despair as he stopped in front on of the rows of dead. There was a body covered by a bloodied sheet. Then Benimaru lifted the blanket, and standing there was a dead Shion.
'Huh?' his mind once again could not work properly 'Why...is she here?'
-'Gobzo!' he could hear Gobta shout in despair nearby; he was kneeling and crying next to the lifeless body of the goblin rider in question. Hakuro moved to place a comforting hand on his student's shoulder.
-'I heard she was protecting a child from the attackers when the barrier was placed...Gobzo tried protecting her, but...' Benimaru could not finish his sentence. A massive aura erupted from Rimuru, one filled with anger and sorrow, that nearly swept everyone nearby of their feet. However, it was gone in a second; then, as if out of battery, Rimuru collapsed down on his knees in front of Shion's body.
-'I...would like to be alone for now.' he said in a barley audible voice. The gathered crowd obeyed his wish and began to scatter. Before she did so too, Shuna came from behind and hugged him, then left too. However, his mind did not even register any of that. All he could think off were the dead in front of him. After a while, he could feel the sorrow threatening to spill out again; he ordered the Great Sage form a copy of Shizu's mask to suppress his aura. However, as he placed it on his face, it cracked from the pressure.
'Why did things came to this?' What did I do wrong? What should I do now?' those question raced through his mind at a million miles an hour
Unable to answer was all Great Sage could tell him
'And why haven't I shed a single tear?' he finally asked through the sea of emotions 'Oh, I see...' he realized 'I truly became a monster, haven't I?'
His mind crippled with pain, he sat there, unmoving, for two days.
A cold wind blew through the city as it leader sat under the starry night, alone with but the bodies of his dead subjects.
Notice: no search results returned. No magic found on the resurrection of the fully deceased. Great Sage said in his mind. He had ordered it to go through all the books and scrolls he had copied in Ingrassia, which took even the Sage many hours to do. However, it was futile.
'I see...' he said as he looked at Shion's unmoving face. As he sat there for a little while longer, a though occurred to him 'I can't just let them stay here forever. Eventually, their bodies will decompose and be returned to its base magicules, lost forever. I can't allow that...'
He stood up with determination and extended his arm forward; a faint black sphere appeared in his hand and extended in a cloud around him 'Gluttony...' he ordered his skill to prepare itself 'At least, they will find peace within me...' and prepared to consume them. However, loud footsteps and a voice interrupted
-'Wait, Rimuru!' he turned around to see Eren, Kaval and Gido, the trio adventurers who escorted him to Ingrassia, looking like they rushed there all the way from Blumund
-'You guys came?' he asked astonished 'Thank you. But, please wait just a second...' and turned to continue what he started.
-'Wait! There is something I need to tell you!' Eren screamed 'I know the changes are low, but when I heard what happened, I knew I had to tell you.' she said 'There may be a way to save them!'
'Stop it...' he though as he heard her words 'Don't give me false hope...don't...Is there even such hope? For them?' he though as he looked over the rows of the dead, a realization hitting him. 'No, its for me...I am the one...who doesn't want to loose them!' and with that, a new determination took hold of his soul. Letting go of Gluttony, he let out a forced laugh 'HA HA HA! Resurrecting the dead?' he asked Eren as he turned to her fully, taking off his mask
-'Yes.' she said 'Its a fairy tale from my homeland. It may sound made up, but it is based on historical fact.'
-'Homeland?' he asked confused
At that, Eren had a look of hesitation and her companions one of worry. However, it was gone quickly, replaced by determination.
-'Yes. You see...' she said as she moved her hands up to her ears and cast a spell. Suddenly, her ears grew pointier
-'Eh?' he asked even more confuses 'You're...an elf?!' he nearly shouted
-'AH, ha ha...' she laughed, somewhat embarrassed. Both Kaval and Gido sighed 'Yes, as you can see...I'm an elf, originating from the Sorceress Dynasty of Thalion, the elven empire.' he remembered briefly passing through Thalion when he went to see Ramiris. 'The tale I wanted to share is a famous one that is told within the Dynasty's nobility. The story of a girl and a dragon...the Tale of the Dragon Princess.'
A long time ago, there were only four dragons, the incarnation of power itself. The oldest of these dragons was powerful beyond measure, roaming the land as he pleased. One day, he met a young human woman, and the two spent time together and eventually fell in love. After a while, the dragon took human form and the two married; not long after, they had a child, a girl that was said to have inherited her mother's beauty and her fathers great power. The dragon himself lost almost all his power to his own child and was now fully human. He crystallized what remained into a baby dragon that he gifted to the girl to be her guardian and friend. Then, both he and the human woman mysteriously vanished from the world, leaving their child behind.
With her dragon companion, the girl grew up in safety, unaware of the great power that resided within her; the two though their happy days would continue forever, but it was not to be so. One day, tragedy struck as a nearby large, magic-wielding kingdom learned of the Dragon Princess and her great power and sough to control her for themselves. They attacked her home, and in the process the baby dragon was killed.
The Princess wept and lamented over her only friend, but soon that grief turned to rage. Awakening to her true power, she laid the kingdom to waste, sparing nothing in her path as wrath was now all she knew. In the process, however, she had also awakened as a Demon Lord, only the second individual to do so, and now the world itself became a target of her fury.
However, the first of the Demon Lords, sensing her wrath, stepped in to stop her. Their battle lasted for seven days and seven nights, turning the entire western edge of the continent into a blasted wasteland, but even so the wrath of the Dragon Princess could not be quenched. Only the intervention of the Spirit Queen, who absorbed some of her runaway negative energy, managed to finally calm her mind and allow her to regain her sanity.
As she cried over the loss of her friend, the Demon lord and Spirit Queen looked on with great sadness; The Demon Lord, his heart deep and calm as the sea; the Spirit Queen, her embrace like the gentle breeze. Then, a miracle occurred: the baby dragon rose up from its death, brought back to life by the Princess' awakening as a Demon Lord. However, miracles do not always take a form that people want; the baby dragon, though it's body moved, it's soul had long since departed. It was now nothing but a mindless husk, transforming into the sinister Chaos Dragon. The Chaos Dragon, its power rivaling even the first Demon Lord, knew nothing but the fury its master was in when she awakened, and thus began to move to continue destroying everything; just like the Dragon Princess had before.
Watching her friend, the Dragon Princess was the only one who understood that her friend was no more, and the true extent of her own power. Thus by her own hand, the Princess sealed away her only friend's body, eyes full of kindness that made even the Demon Lord and Spirit Queen silent. This became the Dragon Princess' first great act as a Demon Lord.
Lives lost cannot be reclaimed; important thins do not lost forever, that is the rule of the world. All things must end one day, and people must stand on their own two feet, like the Dragon Princess when she overcame the loss of her friend and came to know her power.
Eren finished telling the story and looked at Rimuru to see what he had to say. Both her and her companions had to take a double take, though...
Listening to Eren talk, about the ascension of the Dragon Princess to Demon Lord, he began to realize exactly what Eren was proposing, but as he considered the idea something else came to mind 'Wait just a bit...'Dragon Princess? Daughter of a dragon, who became a Demon Lord?' as he though that, a somber realization hit his heart. 'Ah, I see..so that's your story, Milim?' he remembered some things she had said
'Why did I became a Demon lord? Maybe, something bad happened, and I was angry? Ah, I don't remember, okay?!'
'Aren't you...scared? Me to...I'm scared to...lose...'
'Some people might notice you...they'd take it away...'
As he though back to those things she said, he also remembered the sad expressions she would occasionally make, when she though he or anyone else weren't looking. He always hated those; he though being happy was much better suited for her. His already heavy heart could cope no longer. He felt a tear run down his cheek as he looked up at the night sky, ignoring the calls of concern of the three adventurers. 'Milim...what are you doing right now?' he though, again wanting to leave right then and there to find her...but he remembered the part of the story where the Princess steeled her heart to seal away the Chaos Dragon, the only friend she ever had. How would he be able to meet her again if he ran away from his own problems? And so, with a newfound determination, he wiped away his tear- feeling thankful that he could, indeed, still cry- and turned to Eren.
-'Never mind me...' he told her as she looked at him with concern 'But, basically what you're saying is that I became a Demon Lord, the dead people here might revive?' he looked at the dead, contemplating 'But there would be no meaning to it if they came back as mindless, soulless creatures...'
-'Yes, that's the problem.' Eren affirmed, but continued '...however, this city is surrounded by a powerful barrier. Which made me wonder: maybe their souls are still here?' she said. At that, Rimuru had a flash of realization; his intentions were immediately picked up by the Sage
Report: the souls of the dead normally disperse and vanish; however, under the two barriers, they may retain their shape. The probability is 3.14%
'3.14% probability? Pi?!' he though 'That isn't low! Greater than three percent? I will take it!' a wide grin made its way to his face 'If I become a Demon Lord...but...'
-'Eren...you realize you basically told me to become a Demon Lord, don't you?' he said with some concern
Eren smiled sheepishly 'Ah, yeah...see, the truth is my name is Eryune Grimwalt and...I hail from Thalion royalty...'
-'Say what?!' Rimuru shouted 'Are you kidding me?!' he looked over at the other two, about to ask
-'Heh, no...' Kaval said, sounding amused 'We're just her bodyguards. Letting her go adventuring on her own was to dangerous...'
-'Huh?' Eren (Eryune- Rimuru decided to just stick with Eren) looked over at Kaval, unamused 'You say that, but traveling with Kaval is more dangerous than anything...' she joked; Gido tried to suppress his laughter while Kaval went red
-'Hey, it's not my fault! I just...you know...its bad luck!' he tried to defend himself. Rimuru watched them bicker and had to smile a little; royalty or bodyguards or adventurers, they were still the same.
-'Anyways, Rimuru...' Eren said 'If you become a Demon Lord, my involvement will quickly be discovered...only a few people in Thalion know that story...' she said with some regret 'I'll probably be taken back home, but until then...'
-'You don't need to say anything more.' he interrupted her 'You three are always welcomed here.' he told them with a warm smile. The three smiled back. He turned back to look at Shion and the others 'I wonder...can I really become a Demon Lord?'
Affirmative: Individual Rimuru Tempest has already gained the Demon Lord Seed Great Sage reported casually
'What dose that mean?' Rimuru asked
Answer: the presence or absence of a Demon Lord Seed indicates if an individual meets the requirements to awaken as a True Demon Lord it said You gained the Seed when you devoured the Orc Lord; if you fulfill the additional conditions, you will evolve into a Demon Lord'
'Really? What are the conditions?'
Answer: based on the fairy tale, the seeds needs nutrition to bud; the nutrition, in this case, are sacrificed human souls, approximately ten thousand.
'Human souls? Meaning...I have to kill ten thousand people, and absorb their souls?' he asked; he also realized that the though did not revolt or disgust him as much- or at all- as it would have when he was human. Yes. However, as long as it is by your will, the task may be delegated to others Even hearing that, however, Rimuru decided that he would not allow it. It was his decisions- his decisions informed by his previous human life- that had led to the catastrophe before him; whatever else, he would settle it with his own hand; just like she did...
-'Sir..' Rimuru's thoughts were interrupted by a thought message from Soei 'I have a report...'
-'Go ahead, Soei...'
-'Sir, me and my people have identified the ones maintaining the barrier; there are four places, heavily guarded, with what appear to be large focusing crystals used to prop up the barrier. Also, I have met up with Lady Treyni: the combined armies of Falmuth and the Holy Church are marching into out territory. Approximately 20,000 of them...'
-...'He he, I see. Perfect.' Rimuru said after a brief pause 'Just the right amount, and then some...' he said with joy 'Soei, for now continue to monitor and report on the enemy camps. I will bring you up to speed a bit later.'
-'Understood.' the ogre said, then cut off the connection. As he did so, Rimuru looked up at the existing two barriers
-'Now, let's see... Great Sage?'
Report: analysis of the anti-magic field completed; it can now safely be dispelled. However, the secondary outer barrier will be exceedingly more difficult. Shall I dispel the anti-magic field? it asked 'No, not yet.' he said 'we still need it; if it's gone, their souls may vanish. In fact, we need some insurance...' He thought and began manifesting some energy in his hand. A while later, the ball of energy expanded in all directions, engulfing the city just like the barriers. All across the city, the presence of the new field brought panic in people, however, they were quickly calmed down by a though message by Rimuru
'Attention, this is Rimuru speaking.' he announced 'Do not be alarmed by the new barrier; it is my own doing. Every councilor and official, please met up in my office, right now.' as he finished transmitting, he turned back to Eren and her group.
-'You guys come with me. I'd like you to tell everyone the story too...but first, I have someone to deal with...'
Taking one good look at the dead, he moved away, resolved to see his plan through.