The dining hall was empty. The great dining hall on the first floor of Tempest Castle, with three long tables lined up side by side. Tapestries woven by Shuna hung on the walls, and magic-element lamps cast a soft orange glow from the ceiling. It was still early morning—outside, the sky was barely beginning to brighten. The sound of birds drifted in from somewhere. In that quiet dining hall, at the far end of one table, Rimuru Tempest sat alone. Short black hair. Bangs slightly different lengths on either side. White shirt, black slacks. Around 170 centimeters tall, with a slender build. Deep brown eyes gazing blankly ahead, both hands wrapped around a steaming bowl of tea. Rimuru usually wore a gentle smile, but today the expression was different. A sigh escaped. "...Here we go again." Not directed at anyone—just thinking aloud. Morning briefing. Every morning, the executives of Tempest Castle gathered here to confirm the day's schedule while eating. The name sounded normal enough. But in reality, it descended into chaos every single day. Rimuru knew this, which was why he felt a little heavy-hearted every morning. This was Jura Tempest Federation, a nation in the heart of the Great Forest of Jura. The capital city, Central Rimuru. A nation of monsters. Population over 200,000. The country had been founded just over two years ago, and Rimuru had been leading it from the top ever since. As a Demon Lord. *(I'm supposed to be a Demon Lord, technically...)* He took a sip of tea. Subtly sweet, good flavor. Shuna had chosen the leaves, and she'd brewed it fresh this morning. It was nice to have someone who took care of these small things properly. *Click.* The door opened. "Good morning, Rimuru-sama." Shuna entered. Her beautiful cherry-blossom-pink hair was carefully arranged, and the traditional Japanese dress suited her well. Her eyes were calm, her atmosphere serene. She carried a tray laden with dishes. "[gentle]Morning, Shuna. Japanese breakfast again?" "Yes. White rice, grilled fish, and miso soup." She smiled gently as she arranged the dishes across the table one by one. White rice, fish with a golden crust, steaming miso soup. Yeah, that smells good. Just as Rimuru's mood lifted slightly, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from the hallway. "Good morning to ye!" Long white hair and a white beard. Not particularly tall, but his posture was ramrod straight—he had the air of an old master. Hakurou was that kind of person. He took his seat with deliberate movements, then straightened his posture. "Before eating, check thy posture. A rounded back is disrespectful to the food itself. Eating begins with settling the heart. First, settle the body. By settling the body, the heart settles. By settling the heart, the day settles. By settling the day——" "[serious]Y-yes..." It had begun. Rimuru nodded along to Hakurou's words while sipping his tea. He had no intention of stopping him. He knew it wouldn't work anyway. Then a loud sound came from the hallway. *Thud-thud-thud-thud*—a sound like the earth shaking. Then *BANG!* The dining hall door burst open with force. Black. Something incredibly fast and black had burst into the dining hall. A pitch-black body covered in fur, sleek muscular lines. Ranga, the Tempest Star Wolf. Usually he stayed in Rimuru's shadow, but mornings were always like this. Ranga charged straight at Rimuru. Fast. "[scared]W-wait, Ranga——!" *Crash!* One chair went flying. Ranga's tail swung sideways, and another chair went with it. Two chairs toppled beautifully as Ranga skidded to a stop at Rimuru's feet, his tail wagging furiously. His eyes sparkled as he looked up at Rimuru. "[sarcastic]...Calm down, Ranga." Rimuru chuckled wryly as he righted the fallen chairs. Ranga's tail kept wagging. He clearly didn't think he'd done anything wrong. "There, ye see? Lack of composure causes chairs to fall. Ranga, settle thy breathing before running. By settling thy breathing, thy direction becomes clear. By thy direction becoming clear——" The lecture had been updated. Now Ranga was the target too. Rimuru sighed again while patting Ranga's head. That was when it happened. A scream—"Gyaaah!"—came from the hallway, followed by a loud *THUD!* Something was flying toward them. *Thud! Crash!* The dining hall entrance exploded inward as something came hurtling through with tremendous force. It was a goblin. He'd evolved into a Hobgoblin, so his appearance was closer to human, but right now he was airborne. Gobta. Gobta burst into the dining hall holding a bowl of miso soup, landing with a *thud* beside the table. The contents of the bowl flew straight up toward the ceiling. *Splash.* Silence. Miso soup dripped down from the ceiling. Rimuru barely managed to slide his chair sideways to avoid it. Ranga quickly slipped into shadow to escape. Shuna closed her eyes and quietly placed a hand on her head. "[surprised]It broke again..." "Behold! One must check the ground beneath one's feet while walking in hallways! Neglecting this causes——" "[scared]S-sorry!! The hallway tile suddenly went *boing*——!" Gobta sat down on the floor, scratching his head as he shouted. Gobta was from the goblin tribe, a bit clumsy but incredibly hardworking. He had a sturdy build and a round face with friendly eyes. Now he was covered in miso soup, but he didn't seem to be injured. "[sarcastic]...Kumos." Rimuru muttered. Right. Kumos. The monster who had a workshop on the second basement level of the castle, creating things throughout the night. By morning, the hallways had "prototypes" scattered about. Tiles that would spring up when stepped on, that sort of trap. This morning, Gobta had been the target. This happened every week... Rimuru thought. He'd been caught by one himself last week. Getting caught in hallway traps as a Demon Lord was a bit embarrassing. "[laughing]This happens every morning..." All he could do was laugh. Shuna quietly wiped Gobta's head, Hakurou continued his lecture, Ranga emerged from shadow again and wagged his tail at Rimuru's feet. Chaos. But this was normal for Tempest mornings. ─────── After a while, the dining hall settled down a bit. Shuna made fresh miso soup, and everyone started breakfast again. Gobta sat in his chair, looking a little embarrassed. Ranga sat beside Rimuru. Hakurou kept talking while eating. Shuna ate quietly, but with an expression of contentment. One person stood silently in the corner of the dining hall. Souei. Long black hair tied back, black clothes. He stood there without a sound. His face was expressionless, his gaze distant—you couldn't tell what he was looking at. But he was definitely watching Rimuru. Souei was Tempest's intelligence officer. He led the shadow unit and gathered information across the continent. He was someone who didn't show emotion openly and spoke little. But because of him, Tempest remained safe. Rimuru's eyes met Souei's. Souei stepped forward. Without a word, he held out a document. The moment he did, the air in the dining hall tensed. Hakurou closed his mouth. Gobta stopped eating. Ranga's tail stopped wagging. "[serious]...A report?" Rimuru took it and began reading. Blumund Kingdom—the human nation to Tempest's west, connected by trade routes—interviews with merchants. Voices from nobles and travelers from other nations were compiled as well. As Rimuru read the contents, his expression changed. "...They still think that?" The document stated: Most of the surrounding nations' people thought of Tempest as "a terrifying nation of monsters," "a place not to be approached." Though there was trade with Blumund, very few people actually set foot in Tempest itself. The reason: "It's scary." *(I see...)* Rimuru looked away from the document and surveyed the dining hall. Warm breakfast laid out on the table. Orange light from the magic-element lamps. Dishes carefully prepared by Shuna. Traces of Gobta's tumbles. Ranga's tail swaying. Hakurou talking about posture. Such an ordinary nation. Scary, huh. "[serious]...Souei, thank you." Souei nodded silently. That was all. But this was how Souei was—bringing information like this. Rimuru thought for a while. The people of other nations didn't know about Tempest. They didn't know, so they were afraid. Then they should be made to know. "[excited]Got it." Rimuru stood up. "Let's make a pamphlet." Everyone in the dining hall looked at him. "A Tempest introduction pamphlet. Something to show the people of other nations what kind of place this is. I want to properly show them what a wonderful nation this is." He said it with conviction. He thought it was a good idea himself. And the very next moment: "That is a fine thought indeed! However, the proper mindset is paramount. A pamphlet is a face turned outward—in other words, the very dignity of the nation. Dignity is built through daily accumulation——" The lecture resumed. Ranga's tail tangled around the leg of Rimuru's chair, making it wobble. "[scared]Whoa——!" "Um, what exactly is a pamphlet?" Gobta asked with an innocent expression. Rimuru clung to his chair, holding his head slightly. *(A pamphlet introducing this nation... how am I supposed to make that?)* Looking around: Hakurou mid-lecture, Ranga's tail still wagging, Gobta looking confused, Shuna eating quietly, Souei expressionless. With this team, huh. *(Well... I guess we'll figure it out somehow.)* Maybe not, but there was no choice. Rimuru righted his chair and sat back down. Let's eat breakfast. That's where to start. Then Rimuru noticed something. On the bulletin board on the dining hall wall, a single sheet of paper was pinned. When had it gotten there? He hadn't noticed it before. He stood and approached it. White paper with writing on it. The address read simply "To Rimuru," with no sender's name. It was folded and pinned. Rimuru removed it and unfolded it. Just one line was written: ———Do you truly know the real face of Tempest? Rimuru froze. *(What is this?)* A prank? Someone's joke? But the way it was written... something about it bothered him. It caught at something. Something stirred in his chest. Not quite anxiety. But it nagged at him. "[surprised]What is that letter?" Gobta's face appeared right beside him. Too close. "[serious]...I don't know." Rimuru answered honestly. He carefully folded the letter and tucked it into his pants pocket. *(I'll think about it later.)* "Rimuru-sama, your breakfast is getting cold." Shuna's voice reached him. Calm, but with a hint of concern. "[gentle]Right, I'm coming." Rimuru returned to his seat. Ranga followed, wagging his tail. Hakurou was still talking. Gobta returned to his seat while asking what shape a pamphlet had. He served himself white rice and took a bite. Yeah, delicious. Shuna's cooking was always delicious. *(A pamphlet, huh.)* The letter in his pocket lingered at the edge of his mind. But right now, this was more important. He wanted to tell the people of other nations the truth about Tempest. To do that, what should he do first? While eating breakfast, Rimuru began to think. The lively voices of the dining hall continued as always, coming from all directions. The Demon Lord's morning began like this, once again.