Chapter 24
After Rimuru's magnificent speech, he proceeded to guide us through the attractions of the festival.
Our first stop was a concert hall. I had to admit that in the two and a half years that had passed since I reincarnated into this world, I had found a great lack of culture. Opera houses and theatres, concert halls and entertainment halls, were all in great short supply. This world that seemed to favor war and strength, did not seem to put much interest in fun and laughter.
It seemed that Rimuru was trying to find a solution to this problem, just like me.
All of us present took our seats, and waited for the concert to begin. The lights dimmed as the curtains rose, revealing a group of creatures onstage. They had different shapes and appearances, but they all seemed ready to play, with their instruments in hand.
The music began, accompanied by the movement of the conductor. Piece after piece, the music filled the hearts of everyone present. Some songs were old, others more modern. I even heard some well-known anime openings of my previous world. My undead eyes watered when I heard "Someone Like You" by Adele. It was one of my favorite songs, and its author was a countrywoman of mine. Rimuru had really exaggerated this time.
The concert lasted about sixty minutes, but it seemed to last much longer. When the lights went out, I thought that was the end, but I was wrong. A moment later, the lights focused on figures on the stage. A beautiful girl with pink hair, dressed in a beautiful sleeveless dress, was sitting in front of a huge piano, while a beautiful and voluptuous woman with ash-violet hair was standing with a violin in her hands. They were Shuna and Shion! Whoever saw Shion fight would imagine that she didn't have the finesse to play a violin, but it was the complete opposite! The mastery and finesse with which she played the violin, and the way she managed to synchronize with Shuna's piano, was breathtaking. It was pure evidence of the time and effort the two of them had put into practicing.
The result was impressive. Each and every one present stood up and applauded with all their might, completely impressed with the two women. My companions and I were not far behind and joined the cacophony of applause.
After the concert, we retired for a light lunch. The performance of the citizens of Tempest was on everyone's lips. Everyone was impressed by the cultural level of the city, even more so as it was a city of monsters!
After lunch, it was time for the science presentation. Although it was a bit boring at first, with all the scientific technicalities, Gabil and Vester managed to impress us all with their great discovery about the true origins of the Hipokute herb. The presentation was such a success that I started planning to do something similar at my own festival in the near future.
Avalon Festival!
The next day, it started with the big tournament at the Tempest Colosseum. As Thorny, Esteno, and I made our way to the coliseum, we ran into Yuuki on the way, who was conversing with a burly human. The man was dressed in typical ruler clothing, and a golden crown rested on his head. I tried to go unnoticed, but Yuuki noticed me approaching.
"King Rogan! Are you heading to the coliseum to watch the tournament?" - he asked me.
"Lord Yuuki. That's right. I very much wish to see the combat prowess of the citizens of Tempest." - I answered, as I looked at the muscular man.
"Oh! Where are my manners? This is King Roland of the Kingdom of Sybilla, one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the Western Council" – Yuuki said, pointing to the man who accompanied him. "King Roland, this is King Rogan, king of the nascent kingdom of Avalon."
"My pleasure." – King Roland said, in a very affable manner.
"You know, King Rogan? King Roland is considered one of the most influential people in the Western Council, after Ingleasia of course. All because he has managed to become a Hero!" - Yuuki continued.
"Wow ... That's impressive!" – I exclaimed in surprise. Becoming a Hero was not something that many people had achieved in this world.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. I hope that our kingdoms can maintain peaceful relations from now on. May I ask if you have planned to become a member of the Western Council?" - Roland asked me.
"My kingdom is still developing, but yes. At some point in the future, I plan to join the Council." - I answered.
"Oh! So as a council member, I'd be delighted to have you join us." - He said.
"Thank you very much! It has been a pleasure. I have to hurry up if I want to see the start of the tournament. Have a nice day." – I told them politely, and continued on my way to the coliseum.
That was how I met Roland the Hero. I didn't know it yet, but this Roland guy would cause me a lot of trouble in the future.
I continued on my way to the coliseum, but I could feel Yuuki and Roland's gazes all the way to the entrance.
Once in the coliseum, the fighting began. Although these battles served as entertainment, they were also very useful in determining the strength of people from different countries. As always, Tempest's strength was unmatched. The orc Geld, and even the goofy Gobta were quite strong. On the human side, the only one who seemed to show any talent was the Hero Masayuki. Although his talent seemed to rely heavily on his Unique Skill Chosen One, which manipulated everything around it to ensure the wearer had the best "luck". It was definitely one of those almost invincible skills, like Selfish One and Gluttony.
Once the tournament was over, Rimuru finally announced the opening of the biggest attraction of the entire Festival: The Tempest Labyrinth!
The night before, during the great banquet, I had asked Rimuru how he had managed to create the labyrinth. It was then that he explained to me about the amazing skill of Ramirys, one of the Demon Kings.
Who would have thought that the little doll with wings had such power!
I immediately asked Raziel if I could get a skill like that, but Raziel immediately replied in the negative.
The Maze Crafter Skill is an intrinsic skill of the subject Ramirys, and thus is impossible to copy with normal methods. The only option would be to use Ultimate Skill Astaroth on subject Ramirys.
The option that Raziel gave me was impossible for me. Aside from the fact that I didn't like consuming innocent creatures, I was pretty sure that with how close Rimuru and Ramirys were, and even Ramirys and Guy, if I tried to do anything to the little Fairy, I would make a lot of enemies. So, I had to reject the idea of creating my own labyrinth.
Once the labyrinth opened its doors, the first thing I did was ask Rimuru to let me try it. However, his response was blunt.
" No, no, no! Do not even think about it! With how powerful you are, you will most likely win against everyone except Veldora! If someone passes almost the entire maze on the first day, people will lose interest!" - was his reply.
I was a little disappointed, but he was right. With me being a Demon King on the same level as Rimuru, it was quite likely that I could complete the Labyrinth, and that only Veldora could stop me. So, I just had to enjoy the show.
In the end, the opening of the labyrinth was a complete success.
Soon after, during the night of the third and final day of the Tempest Festival, we met at Rimuru's office to discuss business. We weren't the only ones in the office, as Mjöllmile, Diablo and Veldora were also present.
Our first topic was selling our products to Tempest.
"Our city is willing to buy large quantities of Helmoth Silk from Avalon, as well as fish, and dairy products," - said Miomiles. "But I am worried about the problem of payment."
"Is Tempest having financial problems?" - I asked Rimuru.
It was then that Rimuru told me about the trap that some mysterious merchants had set for him, charging only in dwarven gold coins, and not in any other way.
"Those scumbags! Rimuru, you can count on my full support. If I had the gold coins I would lend them to you, but I'm afraid Avalon's economy is not yet stable enough to have such an amount. However, what I can do is sell you my products in exchange for a payment commitment. This way you can arrange to take on the merchants, and pay me later at various intervals." - I offered.
"Thank you very much, Rogan! Your trust means a lot to me." - he replied.
"Nonsense. We have been friends for a while now, and we are fellow members of the Octagram, although nobody knows about it. We must support each other."
As Rimuru and I continued to talk about business, Diablo, Rimuru's second secretary, served us tea. I had noticed Diablo from the moment I got to Tempest. Upon analysis by Raziel, I learned that Diablo was actually one of the primordial demons, though Rimuru seemed to have no idea that he had one of the most dangerous creatures in this world serving him tea! Just to be sure, I had Raziel run a deeper analysis.
"Analysis completed. The individual Diablo harbors no ill intentions towards the individual Rimuru. Primordial Demon Factor Noir obtained through analysis."
Wow. Not only had I made sure that Diablo was not someone suspicious, but I had also obtained another of the Primordial Demon Factor! With that I already had four!
As always, Raziel was very trustworthy!
After tea we decided to relax in the office, and I was finally able to talk a bit with Verldora. Although he seemed very laid back for a true Dragon, he was quite talkative.
"Lord Veldora, do you recognize the name Veldark?" - I asked him.
"Veldark? Mm… I don't think so, no." - he replied, after thinking about it a bit.
Since Veldora didn't know anything, I decided to tell everyone about my discovery. I had already told Rimuru about the Stone with the ability to produce magicules, but hadn't told him anything about its origin.
Veldora seemed very surprised, after I told him about the possibility of another True Dragon existing.
"Another older brother… I've never heard of him, but if anyone could really tell you whether or not there was a True Dragon named Veldark, it would be my older sister, Velzard. She is the oldest of us, as my brother Veldanava has not been reincarnated." - Veldora told me.
"Velzard? I heard that she lives with Guy in the northern continent. How is she?" - I asked Veldora, and I could see how a shiver ran through his body.
"Sister Velzard is terrible! She's so much more powerful than me, and when she gets mad it's a catastrophe! I used to misbehave when I was younger, and she used to punish me by destroying my physical body! Logically as a member of the True Dragon race, I always reincarnated after a short time, but it still hurt!" - Veldora told me, his voice trembling a little.
If even Veldora, one of the most powerful creatures in this world, was afraid of Velzard, I would look for my information on Veldark elsewhere.
Velzard sounded terrifying!
The next morning, after a warm farewell from Rimuru and his friends, we headed back to Avalon.