"Johan-kun, I'm really grateful to meet you. If fate allows it, I would love to meet you again sometime"

"The same goes for me, Gray-san! When the times come, let's meet again"

Both Gray-san and I are shaking hands with full smiles.

Meanwhile, Eric-san seems hesitant to say the same. Probably he thinking about the possibility of him being slain in the battle. His head is down, looking at my and Gray-san's hand. I can feel he wanted to shake my hands too, but he can't say anything.

"Lift your head up, be a proud warrior"

Hinata interjects out of nowhere. Her face is serious, the tone was dominating. Even Gray-san looks surprised. It's no wonder. Hinata doesn't sound like any lovely lady, she sounded like a respected commander.

But Eric-san was surprised more than Gray-san. His body was jolted for a bit, he lift his head up and straightly looked at Hinata.

Then, Hinata raises her hand, asking him to shake hands with her. They shook their hand, while Hinata pat Eric-san's shoulder.

"Do your best"

That small sentence was the only goodbye from her to Eric-san. But that sentence is the one he needed.

"Yes! I'll fight with pride!"

Hinata nodded at him. Then, Eric-san came to me.

"Johan-san, I may not gonna be able to meet with you again, but I want you to know that I am grateful to meet you"

I shake his hand, and I tighten the grip. I just knew him a few hours ago, but I feel sad imagining he's not going to survive in battle. I hope he's gonna through it, without having to lose his life.

But being worried about him might be an insult to his resolve. Even Gray-san manages to accept Eric-san's decision. What right do I have to reject his resolve?

"Do your best, Eric-san. I may not know about knight ethics, but you have to fight to protect the other!"

"Yes! For the people of Casland Kingdom, and for His Highness Prince Constance!"

Our handshake got tightened more, as we pour our strength into it. But maybe, I put my strength a bit too much because Eric-san started to wince. Oops, I still need to adjust my strength in this world.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Gray-san also shake hands.

"Iza-san, you and your brother are a very nice person. I wish people like you didn't go wasted in a war. This world needs a good young people like you"

Hinata smiled at him. She gently shakes her hand with Gray-san. I thought she was not gonna say anything, but it turns out she continues,

"I too, wished a wise person like you still exist to guide the young people"

Gray-san lashed out a big smile at her. Seems like he's very happy receiving those words from Hinata.

We bid our farewell to them. They walked outside the tavern, while still taking a peek at us.

The tavern had already been pretty quiet. There are still people around, but not too many. The waitress also started to clean up the empty tables.

I and Hinata are looking at each other.

"We should go now as well, Rimuru"

"Yes, let's find a place to teleport"

Hinata nodded. Then we stand up and started packing things up.

But as we picked out provisions, I suddenly remembered about Gray-san had told us. I looked at Hinata who already picked up the tent and the pouch of money.

"I understand, we don't need it anyway. Let's return it to them. It doesn't mean we're picking their side anyway."

"You're right, thanks. I'll return it quietly"

"All right. I'll wait outside the barracks"

And with that, both of us agreed to return the provision we'd received from the knights. Because we actually don't need it. On the other hand, their side really in lack of supplies. Judging from Gray-san's story, I assume what they give is already very lot for them.

I don't like the idea of taking from those who need it.

We both walked to the barracks. The street is already pretty much quiet. Only one or two people walked around. And there are some homeless in the alley. Some guards also take patrol.

After reaching the barracks, I perform my formhide art. It will enable me to be undetected by the knights.

I enter the barracks. Many of the knights are resting, and those who wake up are the ones who have been tasked as guards. Of course, no one is noticing me, so I was freely walking around. I remember where the warehouse is, so I'm going straight there.

I open the warehouse.

"Yare yare…"

I murmur after seeing their supplies.

There are still foods available, but not much. At best, it would only feed 100 people. Even with if I returned the dried meats I'd received, it still wouldn't be much. But, what would happen if I made more food for them?

[Although it's not significant, it will help boost the morale of Prince Constance's army in this area. By this act, Master has meddled in the conflict. I suggest doing nothing about it]

Yeah, Ciel's right. Even so, my humanity side can't accept it easily.

But I understand. I shouldn't take any side for now. So even with an unwilling heart, I can only return the dried meat and water I've received before.

As I came out from the warehouse, I pass by Captain Alan's room. I thought he was already asleep, but my universal sense noticed him still awake inside the room accompanied by Leroy-san.

I stopped for a while. I hear them talking.

"So, the evacuation of people in the north is almost finished, huh?"

This is Captain Alan's voice. He sound very exhausted.

"Thankfully yes. But they are still pretty far away from here. At best, the refugees will come in 3 days"

"That's if nothing wrong gonna happen. What can you expect with a rushed evacuation?"

"I know, objectively speaking, it's impossible for everything gonna be fine"

"Give me your worst situation, Leroy"

"The refugees will arrive in more than a week, burdening the soldiers on the frontline. And with the supply line being crowded by refugees, the vanguard wouldn't be able to stand against the enemy. With that scenario, our loss is almost certain"

"But we can still hold the line in this city, right?"

"If the enemy lay a siege on this city in that scenario, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to hold on more than two weeks"

"Let me guess, because of the supplies?"

"Yes, as you already notice, our supplies were scarce. We were barely able to feed the Knight Brigade at this point. Even though luck has been given to us by Pulfric-dono's generosity by giving all his food stock, the amount wouldn't even be sufficient to keep our knight full for a month"

Hmm? Is Gray-san being mentioned? Now this becoming more intriguing.

"So, even the Pulfric Company already donated their wealth for us. Yet we still… Leroy, tell me, how many merchant companies had already donated their wealth to us?"

"With Pulfric Company included, there are already 9 companies"

"9 companies, yet here we are…"

"Captain, for today, it's best to get some rest first. We've been through many things in the past few days. You've to rest for now, let's continue for tomorrow morning"

"Can't do that, Leroy. It's all my fault we've been lost for days. I have to make it up as soon as possible, I mean look at these papers. I have to prepare a lot for upcoming battles and accepting refugees"

I can see Leroy-san showing an exasperated smile.

"Then, let me help you, Captain"

"Thanks a lot. By the way, do we still have some alcohol? I would like to take some if we have one"

I hear a short pause.

"Yes, I think there's still some ale in the warehouse"

"Ohh! Then, I'll bring it here for us. Let's work with some drinks!"

"Wait, let me bring it out for you"

"You sure? I'll take your offer then. Thanks"

"Sure thing, Captain"

Then the door is open. I saw Leroy-san in a casual tunic but still has his swords in his waist. He came out of the room, looking to the right and left.

Then he walks the opposite way from the warehouse. Huh? I think I heard him saying he will go to the warehouse.

Out of curiosity, I followed him after activating my Argos in Captain Alan's room. Captain Alan is starting to work on papers, while I still following Leroy-san.

Leroy-san came into one of the rooms in the hallway. I didn't come inside, but I can notice that it was his private room. He bends his body near the bed and takes out a box under it. There, I saw some bottles of alcohol. I notice half of them are already empty, and Leroy-san takes out one which still has still contains alcohol in it.

Leroy-san let out a smile after finding it. Then he put the wooden box back under his bed and came back to Captain Alan's office.

I see, Leroy-san is lying about there's still a stock of ale in the warehouse. And so, he takes out alcohol from his private stock. What a wholesome subordinate. I smiled looking at the scene.

Both of them share an ale in a cup. Captain Alan stopped his paperwork for a while.

"Let's get your family safe, Leroy"

"My deepest gratitude, Captain. But, as a knight, saving people is our priority."

"But your family is also a people of this kingdom. If I failed to save my own colleague's family, I won't have a face to His Highness"

"Then if that's the case, I shouldn't have any face to you, Captain"

The atmosphere suddenly becomes grim. Leroy stopped his drink, and his head is looking down. His face suddenly showed a deep regret.

But Captain Alan gave him a warm smile.

"Are you still blaming yourself for Maria's death?"

"No one else could be blamed for your wife's death other than me"

"I already said it, let it go. It's her resolve. As her proud husband, I have nothing but respect for my wife. She died as a proud knight. It's our job to continue her legacy"

"But I have tarnished it…"

"You still regret what we have done to Johan-dono and Iza-dono?"

"Absolutely! I can never forgive myself for that"

"But they already forgive us. I'm sure they are very good people."

"But it only makes it worse for me. I have done bad things to the good people. Sometimes, I questioned myself am I really fit to become a knight"

It seems Leroy-san become a bit drunk. I always saw a composed attitude from him, but right now, he's very emotional. But it's no wonder. From those talks alone, I can see there's a huge emotional pain inside Leroy-san. It seems Leroy-san had many disappointments to himself.

But as Captain Alan's said, Leroy-san should let it go.

And somehow, I felt I can relate to the pain Leroy-san has.

"You're still here is proof that you are worthed. Do you need me to say it all over again? I won't be here without your helps"

Captain Alan's words might have some effect on Leroy-san. Because Leroy-san didn't respond anything to him. Or perhaps, Leroy-san had been too drunk to talk. But it doesn't seem to be the case though.

Because in the next moments, Leroy-san takes every paper on Captain Alan's desk.

"At least, this is all I can do to help"

Then he moved the papers to another desk. Leroy-san take a seat, then started to work on it with great speed.

I heard Captain Alan start to laugh.

"Hahaha! There you go. Oy! Don't take all of it, let me do my job as well!"

"No can't do! Captain should have a good rest"

"Oy oy you making me sounds like a child ya know?"

"Then as an exchange, trained the new recruits for tomorrow. They have been bombarding me with the question about where you have been"

"Hahaha! Oh, so that's why… you sly fox. Then, ya sure you can do this by yourself?"

"As certain as the sun will rise tomorrow"

"Attaboy! Thanks a lot for your help. I'll go to bed then. Don't you regret your choice"

"I won't. Have a good night, Captain"

Captain Alan patted Leroy-san's shoulder. He once again expressed his gratitude to Leroy-san, but Leroy-san already put all of his focus on paperwork. Noticing this, Captain Alan walked out of his office, he didn't want to disturb Leroy-san.

I was standing still outside the office when Captain Alan closed the door.

I thought a moment after Captain Alan came out of the office, he would immediately go to his room. But turns out, he's standing there, looking at the skies. Tonight, there's a full moon with many stars sparkling beautifully.

I see.

Captain Alan is pretty much a romanticist. He might be looking at it to see the beauty of the night sky.

But then, Captain Alan says something to himself.

"May the Mighty God Veldanava is in our favor"

!?

I didn't hear it wrong, am I?

Veldanava? Our World creator, The Star King Dragon Veldanava?

What the? How can this world know Veldanava?

[Veldanava has created many worlds. I cannot be certain about how many it is, but apparently, this world is one of the creations from Veldanava]

So that's why. I'm baffled.

But how are the people in this world know Veldanava? I didn't find any possible relation. Unlike the cardinal world I lived in, we have a lot of his creations who exist around us. As far as I know, many of the progenitors of the creatures that lived in my world were also live in the Cardinal World. So it's common knowledge about Veldanava's existence in my world.

But how about this world? There are no demons and angels. All the inhabitants are humans.

[It's still a premature conclusion, but it's possible there's some unknown creation of Veldanava who has ruled this world at some time. But I'll need more data about it, so I cannot give any certain conclusion. I'm sorry…]

No, it's actually a good hint. We never know how many creatures Veldanava has made. In other words, there is more unknown history about Veldanava's creation.

[There are still unknown truths about Veldanava. Even I didn't have any information about it]

Don't worry Ciel. Even the oldest creature I know, the Primordials didn't mention anything beyond their creation.

But, the fact that Captain Alan worshipping Veldanava, it's somehow very intriguing. I wonder if the rest of the people in this world also worshipped Veldanava.

[Understood, I'll gather any information related to that]

Again, very deft of you Ciel.

Oh, by the way, I just got remembered. The guy earlier in the tavern, who wore a black robe, looks like a clergy. Maybe he's someone in a religious organization, like a church.

But I don't see any church around here.

[I'll investigate it further]

I leave it to you, partner.

And before I know it, Captain Alan already walking away from here. And this time, I didn't have any curiosity to follow him.

I should return to Hinata now.

And so, I walked outside while maintaining my formhide art, and found Hinata still waiting for me near the back of the barracks.

"Sorry, I took so much time" I sincerely apologize while steadily reducing my art.

"Don't worry, it's worthed as well"

"What do you mean?"

"Thanks to your magicules, I can hear those interesting words"

"You mean, about Veldanava?"

Hinata nodded. Then she continued.

"I can't be sure as well, but I recalled Luminas-sama ever told me about her origin. There seems a creature called 'Divine Ancestor' who create the first human, elves, dwarfs, and vampires. I don't know much detail about it, but it seems it has a connection to this world"

"I see, I never heard of such a thing before."

"I was only ever heard that much. But because I didn't really think it would be useful, I never cared too much about it. But it seems it's a mistake"

"Well, you're not wrong. But if I were you, I would also think the same"

I thought Veldanava creates the creatures directly, including humans.

[There's a possibility of Veldanava only creates the Original beings like the Seven Original Angels. Then those Original beings create a descendant who transforms into a different creature, creating a multi-diverse creature around the universe. There's also a possibility of a particular being who was born by coincidence like Primordial Demons]

I see. This whole universe is still a mystery as well. We have a long way to figure out the whole truth in this universe.

Heck, even we didn't know who's this "Divine Ancestor" is.

"But it's pretty much refreshing isn't it, Rimuru?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"You're worried about meddling too much in this world. But if this world is also a creation of Veldanava, would you find there's a connection with our world right now?"

Woahh… I never thought of it that way. But I guess she's right. It became apparent that this world is somehow related to the Cardinal World. Being created by the same existence, it sure made a spark of a bond.

But still…

"You're right. If this world really is created by Veldanava, there's a sense of attachment between the two worlds. But it's still not a justification for meddling too much in this world. Also, a quarrel between humans is natural isn't it?"

"I agree with you. But now, even without Sensei's soul inhabiting this world, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I let this world collapse"

"Oy oy… The current war is only a civil war in one kingdom. And there are a dozen or even hundreds more kingdoms in this world. It won't change much. You know it better than me"

"That's why I agree with you. I only think if this world was somehow related to Luminas-sama's origin, I have a sense of duty to protect it"

"Well, I won't go as far as saying I don't care about this world. I just wouldn't be able to stop myself once I involved more and more in this world's system"

"That's right. You have changed, Rimuru. Become a King has made you realize there are priorities to be taken"

"R-Right…"

I nodded slowly. I mean, she's right. Once I have people who entrust their life to me, I become more focused on my people's safety. I still care about the development of civilization, but I won't do it if it's not beneficial to my country.

I wonder if I became a selfish person.

[That's incorrect. Master is a responsible person. Master is always selfless]

I unintentionally smiled after hearing Ciel's words.

[Don't worry Master. Even if Master becomes a selfish person, I would stay by your side forever!]

Eh! No! That's not the point!

"By the way Rimuru, I think it's time"

"E-Eh? Ah right…"

She's right, it's already past midnight. The street was also looking very empty. It's very quiet that I can teleport it right away.

All right, let's go now.

[Master, the distance of the soul I tracking is coming closer. I can't be sure what's going on, but it's probably best to be on alert]

Eh? What do you mean by that? Is the person who possesses half of Shizu-san's soul coming here?

[That's right]

Well, I guess that person is still far away right?

[Currently, it's 95 kilometers away. But it still coming closer]

Oh, that's still pretty far. So nothing's changed. Let's go.

[Understood. But one thing to be reminded of, I can only teleport it straight to the soul is located. That means Master would appear in front of this unknown individual]

Crap, I never thought about it. That means our secret will be uncovered. Oh dear, what should I do…

"Something wrong?"

"Ah… I just remembered. I can only teleport straight into the soul is located. You know what I mean right?"

Hinata nodded. Then she thinks for a while.

After seconds, she speaks.

"Then we have no choice. Except you wanted to wait until it comes to us"

"You're right, we're not in a rush anyway"

"But is this person coming to our position?"

"Well, I knew it was moving closer toward us"

"From the north right?"

"Yes. Wait, are you thinking what I thinking?"

"It seems so. Are you thinking this person is one of the refugees?"

"Most possibly, yes"

"Then it's certain it will come to us"

"You're right. Hah… then we can take a break for a while"

"To be honest, I have a bad premonition about it"

"Why?"

"Just a hunch"

Well, it's pretty rare to have Hinata mentioning her instinct. She is usually more calculative and shrewd over everything. But it makes me somehow feel the same.

Ciel, can I scan the area with my Universal Sense for that wide area?

[I never tried it, but it's possible in theory]

Then please try it. I wonder if it works in such a wide radius area.

[I'll try to use it temporarily, then I install Argos nearby the soul's coordinate]

Ohh! Good idea!

But damn, I realize how important Souei's role was. No, I always realize the importance of Souei's division, but right now I just realize how inconvenient to always do everything by myself. Or perhaps, I was used to handing over jobs to my subordinates.

But then, comes a report from Ciel.

[I've managed to place an Argos to confirm the individual whom Master's searching for. It seems to be a male with high status. Judging from how many people surrounding him, it's possible that's Prince Constance we have been talking about]

Eh? Wait, can you show the footage to me, Ciel?

[Understood]

Then footage came into my mind. I saw a long convoy of carriages on the road. But it looks like it's in dismay. People are running abandoning their luggage. The horses are in panic, and chaos is everywhere.

Oh gosh, now our bad premonition seems to be true. I kept looking around and found that the convoy is very long. It might be around 7 kilometers. The number of people in the convoy is also staggering. Without Ciel's analysis, I thought it was around 20.000 people in carriages. It's a reckless convoy.

I don't even see the guards are organized properly. They mostly stand in the middle. While the rear is only guarded by a few dozen armed people. Mostly only man-at-arms.

So that's what Captain Alan means by rushed evacuation. I don't know what the cause of this massive evacuation was, but I knew it doesn't go well.

To make matters worst, I can see the rear of the convoy was being attacked.

I saw many heavily equipped soldiers attacking from behind the convoy by horse. Some of them are killing people, but most of them look like they searched for someone. They destroy every carriage's wheel and search everything inside of it.

But then, comes hundreds of people on foot. A black mantle covered their bodies and began to attack the people. Those people are being slashed by swords, crushed by hammers, and stabbed by knives. And those who survived were captured, either getting beaten or tortured.

It was horrible.

Then from the middle of the convoy, I saw a young man with a handsome face being guarded by multiple knights. But he looks like he wanted to run to the back of the convoy by himself. And of course, none of his bodyguards are letting him go. And to add more concern, somehow I am convinced that person is Prince Constance. Moreover, I saw particles of a bright soul inside him.

That's it. I found Shizu-san's soul. Although it's only half of it.

Ciel, please share this footage with Hinata.

[Understood]

"Hinata"

"What is-oh"

Then I shared the sight of the footage with her.

She looks horrified at the sight she saw.

Then, I activate my thought acceleration to Hinata.

"Hinata, you see the prince there?"

"Yes"

"Turns out you're right. He has Shizu-san's soul"

"Then we have no choice. Let's save him"

"Are you prepared?"

"That question is for you"

She's right. As I watch the scene, I thought a lot about the consequences. If the rumors are right, then as soon as I sprung into action, I'll be picking a fight with more than just one kingdom. And with no magic around, the entire world might be in an uproar upon our existence.

But I can't stand seeing this too. Hinata might have been thinking about it as well, but she still decides to go. The shrewd person I know has chosen to be reckless.

Well, then I too, have no choice. For now, let's deal with what we saw. Let's think about another thing for later.

And so, I made my resolve.

"All right. I'm coming too. But I'm going to take life as minimal as possible"

"Good, I never killed many humans before, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it"

"That's a pretty scary thing to say. But I won't pry into it"

"Then, we're good. I'm ready"

She unsheathed her sword.

And I do the same.

"Remember, once we arrive, there's a battlefield"

Hinata nodded. As she readied her stance, I began to activate the teleportation.

Ciel, for this one, let me try to handle the fight by myself.

[…All right, but if you are getting harmed, I wouldn't stand still doing nothing]

I didn't have time to respond to that statement, because a ray of light has appeared below our feet.

And not even seconds later, we arrived.

For a few seconds, I look around and saw the Prince is in baffled upon seeing me and Hinata appeared out of nowhere. Some of his knights are also very surprised after our arrival, but the others started to point out their swords to us.

I heard the screams from afar, and many people are running in my direction. They are in a very panicky situation since none of the fleeing people pay any attention to us. Well, that's not a problem.

Let's get started.

I plan to use my power as minimal as possible, but strong enough to pull the enemy back. So I would use my battle will for most.

I enhanced my sight with my universal sense and found a mounted knight's enemy within 5 meters.

I took a flash step, and swing the back of my sword to that person. The hilt of my sword hit the guy's nose, and then he collapsed. His horse becomes a wild animal and runs forward at full speed.

I turn my head and saw more of the mounted knights approaching. Again, I used a flash step and appeared in front of one of them. The knight looks confused at first seeing me appear suddenly, but then without hesitation, he marched forward and swings his sword horizontally towards me, only to be parried by my sword.

He got confused since he didn't expect his attack would be deflected easily, but I didn't waste more time and jumped towards him using my instantaneous move and slash his torso. The knight fell and I saw his armor were split.

I'm pretty surprised since I thought I didn't use much strength. But I guess that's just how weak these people are. The knight didn't stand up, but he was alive with a wound in his chest.

I can't pay too much attention, since his comrades are now charging at me in synchronized lines. Without much thought, I coated my sword with an aura and slash my sword horizontally into the air. The aura that coated my sword earlier become a projectile with a wide range and immediately went toward those knights.

They all fell backward, and the momentum of their fall made them faint. With a serious injury around their chest. But the projectile made from my aura is still flying and hit many more mounted knights behind. Their armor saves them from being cut in half, but there's still a huge slashed wound in their body.

The other mounted knights sensed the abnormality happening to me, and they started to get hesitant to charge at me. But that's only happened for seconds.

They began to reform their line, with the knight wielding a shield and spear in the center. They lined themselves into 10 rows and immediately charged at me to encircle me. But that's too bad because before they could reach me, I move with instantaneous movement and appeared on their left.

The knight who happened to be on the left of the row, was utterly shocked by my sudden appearance. But before he could react, I thrust into his torso and made him fall. But luckily, I didn't hit his vital part.

Their row become in dismay. But the 2 knights who wield spears and shields still trying to charge at me. But with the short distance, their thrust won't be powerful enough.

Alas, even if they manage to have enough momentum, I wouldn't let it happen.

But perhaps this could be a good example.

I intentionally stand still and waited for them to come at me. Once they're closed enough, I use a bit of thought acceleration and manage to dodge their spear's thrust and swing vertically toward their spear. I move far enough to distance myself from being hit by their horse, and with my aura that coated my sword, it succeeded to become a projectile that break their spears.

Both of them must be surprised after what they saw. From their perspective, I guess they didn't see how I was able to dodge, and suddenly saw their spear got broken.

The other knight who saw what was going on become afraid.

"W-What is that guy?"

"Impossible!"

"He's out of mind! Let's get back!"

"No! Let's hold on! Wait for the others and surround him from all sides!"

Then another knight came charging at me. I was preparing the next move, but suddenly, that knight was sent flying pretty far before hitting a tree with his back.

Hinata did a flying kick toward that knight, and now she's standing beside me.

"I'll handle the mounted knights, you rescue the people in front"

"Got it!"

I didn't have any reason to reject her command. So I ran with tremendous speed and bypass every mounted knight in front of me.

"Wha-What's that?"

"No idea! Let's go! Our frontline got in trouble!"

Looks like Hinata manage to draw their attention.

Yosh, now my opponents are the people in a black mantle. They seem to have a nasty attitude.

"Kyahhhh!"

I heard a woman screaming. I had my sight on her spontaneously. Both of her legs were being dragged by two men in a black mantle, while two children were holding both of her arms each.

"' Mother! '"

Both of the kids are screaming for their mother. Nonetheless, the two men kept dragging her around. They show a disgusting face.

"Ahaha! Hey, stop resisting! We'll let your kids live if you do what we want"

"Right right! You're lucky to have a beautiful face. The other women didn't satisfy us enough. Kuhahaha!"

All right this is unbearable. That woman is desperately screaming. And worse, I saw many other guys in the black mantle coming towards them.

I won't spare them.

I instantly use instantaneous movement, and slash both of them in milliseconds. And I didn't stop there. I continue moving towards the guys who come closer, and before they could realize what happened, a slash wound had appeared on their bodies.

"' Arrgghh! '"

They screamed very loud. But worst, the two guys who drag the women's feet, already got themselves cut in half from their heads. There's no way they are still alive.

"H-huh?! What's that?!"

"Where he came from?!"

"Oy, you! Stop right there!"

"Hey hey! Somebody shoot him!"

They screaming each other. But those loud voices are not my main attention. What I saw is a horrible scene of people being killed ruthlessly.

I saw a man with multiple stabbed wounds dying helplessly in the middle of the road, lying down inside his own blood puddle. I saw a woman being slashed in her arm, her clothes are tattered and she was still holding on to her children. Hugging it tightly, protecting them till the end. I saw multiple children lying down in the street, with a sword being stabbed in their backs. None of them are alive. I saw people, humans, dying everywhere, covered with blood, without any resistance.

They cried in pain, alongside a laugh from the men in black mantles.

I suddenly imagine the time when my people in Tempest, were attacked by Falmuth's vanguard. Is this how they were attacked? Is this the cruelty they faced? Is this, the fear they felt?

Then, I won't spare anyone. I won't let any attackers live. I'll kill them all.

"I'll kill you all"

I murmured those words, and moved rapidly, swinging my swords toward anyone I identified as an attacker.

"Wh-what is he say? Aahh!"

"I can't hear it-arghh!"

"What's going-Argghh!"

"Wha- where's he go-Arghh!"

They all go down one by one. And none of them, are alive.

"H-hoy! Shoot it!"

Once I heard that loud order, I immediately sensed dozens of arrows coming toward me.

But none of it matters. I swing my sword horizontally into the air, and the aura I made becomes a projectile that destroys all of the arrows.

I turn my gaze to the mens who shot me.

"Wha-what's that?! He's a beast! Run!"

"Run! Get back!"

"Save your life!"

I won't let you run away.

I jumped into the air and hit the ground with my sword. The ground become shaking, and a ray of lightning appeared and running everywhere, burning those men with black mantle into ash.

Some of them still survive. I'm gonna finish it.

But then,

[Master! Please stop! You're going to hurt yourself!]

I suddenly stop moving.

I saw those attackers trembling in fear. They didn't move an inch.

Once I stopped my movement, they instantly fall down and dropped their weapons.

And then,

"Rimuru! What are you doing?!"

Hinata came by running behind me. And then she stopped after seeing the corpses, or rather, my victims.

"Rimuru…"

At that very moment, I feel a great pain in my chest.

I looked at my chest, but I found no injuries.

So that's it. It's a pain inside my heart.

Ciel, can you do something about it?

[…]

I see. It's my own problem. It's not even something Ciel can do.

Now, what face should I make? What attitude I should give to the people around me?

I can't show this emotion. I don't know what my faces look like right now, but I'm sure it's unpleasant to look at. But I can't keep standing still like this.

I need to look okay. I have to, or otherwise, I'm going to look like a scary monster.

I'm not a bad slime.

I'm not a bad…

"Rimuru…"

Before I know it, a pair of hands were hugging me from behind.

And I didn't feel any strength to oppose it.