Last night, Shion declared "Tomorrow I shall protect Lord Rimuru with all my strength" before leaving the dining hall. That phrase caught in the corner of Rimuru's mind as Friday morning arrived. When Rimuru entered the great hall, he was slightly surprised by how many faces surrounded the tables. Shion, Benimaru, Gabiru, Shuna, Gobzo and his circle of elder goblins. Even Gobue's aunt was here in the castle dining hall for some reason. Ranga was wagging his tail at his feet. He remembered sitting here alone on Wednesday morning. That silence felt like a lie now. "[excited]Alright. I'm taking charge of the shoot today" The moment Benimaru sat down, he crossed his arms and declared it. Black hair with red streaks, a scar on his left cheek. His confident face was as composed as always. "[serious]I shall be the one photographing Lord Rimuru" Shion raised her hand almost simultaneously, her crimson hair swaying. Their gazes clashed. For a moment, the tension from yesterday seemed about to return. But today was different. "[serious]……Leave the composition judgment to me. Shion handles the shutter—that works, right?" Benimaru said it first. Briefly, but decisively. "[gentle]Understood" Shion nodded. Rimuru watched them. The two who had nodded awkwardly at each other in the dining hall yesterday were now naturally facing the same direction this morning. (Good.) He thought it honestly. Then Gabiru leaned forward. "[excited]I'll take charge of the shoot too——" Everyone looked at Gabiru at once. In silence. Gabiru backed down. "[sarcastic]……I'll give my all to the Miloana Lake assignment" "[gentle]Do that" ──── The first shoot location was the Hodgepodge Plaza—the central market five minutes south of Tempest Castle on foot. The morning market was already bustling. Gobue's aunt was calling out "Fresh radishes here!" and young Lizardmen were passing by carrying buckets of fish. Benimaru began checking the sun's angle with a serious expression. "[serious]The light direction is……a little to the right. Lord Rimuru, could you move three steps to the side from there?" "[gentle]Like this?" "[serious]One more half-step. The merchandise shelf in the background will fit perfectly" Rimuru moved as instructed. Shion raised the camera. "[excited]Lord Rimuru——here we go!" Crack. A sound. Shion looked at the camera. The lens had a crack in it. "[surprised]……Oh my" "[sarcastic]That's not 'oh my,' Shion" Shuna sighed and pulled out a backup camera. With her calm demeanor, she smoothly adjusted the sleeves of her pale crimson kimono. She'd been in charge of design at this workshop all along—the backbone of internal affairs. Today she was here to verify pamphlet materials. Shion took the second one. "[serious]This time I shall focus entirely on Lord Rimuru" She tensed up. Crack. This time the lens cracked the moment she gripped it. "[sarcastic]……Shion, relax" "[serious]If I relax, Lord Rimuru's charm will be halved" "[sarcastic]That's not the problem here" Sighs piled up. Third camera. Shion slowly, exhaling, held it gently with just her fingertips. Click. It worked. Then Gobue's aunt—a regular at the Hodgepodge Plaza—jumped into the frame carrying a radish. "[excited]Let me in too, Lord Rimuru!" A photo of Rimuru and Gobue laughing together was taken. When Shuna checked it later, it turned out to be the best shot of the morning. ──── Gabiru was heading to Miloana Lake alone at that time. About forty-five kilometers south of Tempest Castle. On the shores of the great lake where Lizardman settlements dotted the landscape, Gabiru's water palace stood—the "water capital base" as Gabiru called it. He stood at the end of the pier. Behind him, the surface of Miloana Lake spread out, and above it, the blue sky. "[excited]This is my style……" He turned the camera toward himself and leaned forward. At that moment, the pier boards were wet. His foot slipped. Gabiru fell forward——Splash!! Water sprayed up. Glittering in the sunlight, it spread beautifully. Only the camera remained on the pier. The shutter had clicked the moment it fell. ──── Early afternoon. The castle's great hall gathered the elder goblins. Gobzo was an old goblin with horns turning white. Staying in his ancient form without evolving, yet his posture remained perfectly straight as he sat in his chair. "……When Tempest first formed, the settlement had about ten shabby huts where the castle now stands" His low, gravelly voice spread through the dining hall. "Lord Rimuru appeared and gave us names. That day——" Gobzo paused for a moment. "I remember it. Goblins never had names before. When I was called one for the first time, it felt like something was entering inside me" Rimuru sat beside him listening. Something stirred deep in his chest. Shuna quickly took notes while carefully gathering Gobzo's words. Materials for the history section of the pamphlet. The story continued. And continued. And continued further. Gobzo's tale flowed from the story of the first huts to the story of trade routes, from trade routes to how the hot spring resort came to be, from the hot spring resort to old nicknames of Gobji. (Ah, this is turning into something even Hakurou would be impressed by……) Rimuru thought so. But he didn't stop it today. Those days when Gobta got lost in the market and he'd sigh "lost again." That hot spring afternoon when he was trying to escape Gobji's stories. Now he could listen properly. "[gentle]……Hey, Gobzo" "What" "[gentle]Can I put all of that in the pamphlet?" Gobzo was quiet for a moment. "……In Tempest's history section?" "[gentle]Yeah. I want people from other countries to know how Tempest came to be" The corner of Gobzo's mouth lifted slightly. "……Do as you like" It was a single word that sounded like shyness. ──── Evening. When everyone gathered in the dining hall with the finished data in hand. "[excited]Leave the printing to me! I've brought an improved magical printing machine!" Kumos pulled out a large machine from the underground workshop. A small monster wrapped in white spider silk—Kumos always wore a smile, but every time the word "improved" was mentioned, the entire castle braced itself out of habit. Rimuru braced himself too. "[sarcastic]……Improved, which part exactly?" "[excited]I tripled the speed!" "[sarcastic]Tripled the speed" "[excited]Yes!" Kumos flipped the switch. The machine began groaning with a rumble. The rumble changed from a growl to a roar. The next moment, the ink tank connection port came loose. Splash!! Black and blue ink sprayed across the dining hall. It reached the ceiling. "[scared]Whoa!!" Gabiru tried to dodge and knocked over his chair, getting stuck instead, and took the second wave head-on. His face turned blue—no, black and blue in patches. "[serious]Shield——" Benimaru kicked the table to stand up, stubbed his foot and couldn't move, taking the second wave of ink straight on. "[serious]I shall protect Lord Rimuru!" Shion stepped forward as a shield, taking the full force of the ink. Her crimson hair turned black. Only Shuna had stepped back slightly, but splattered ink hit the hem of her kimono. "[cold]……Kumos" "[scared]I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Gobzo checked the ink on his sleeve and sighed. "……Tempest has always been like this" The dining hall fell silent. Rimuru, covered in ink, looked around at everyone. Benimaru, covered in ink. Shion, covered in ink. Gabiru, covered in ink. Shuna, only her hem covered in ink. Gobzo, only his arm covered in ink. Kumos, the most covered of all. He tried to hold back his laughter. He couldn't hold it back. "[laughing]……Never mind. Let's take a photo like this" "Huh?" "[laughing]Like this. All of us" "[sarcastic]……Lord Rimuru, are you in your right mind?" "[laughing]I am. Line up" Everyone lined up in front of the long table. Covered in ink. Gobzo too, Kumos too, everyone lined up. Ranga came to his feet and wagged his tail. Ranga had a little ink on him too. Shuna raised the camera. "……I'm taking it" Click. ──── Everyone gathered around the finished pamphlet. The cover was a group photo of everyone covered in ink. Below it, in large letters. 'Welcome to Tempest! Come visit Demon Lord Rimuru's home!' Rimuru froze. "[serious]Shion, this catchphrase is" "[excited]It's perfect!" No hesitation. Her face was completely confident. "[sarcastic]……Not bad. Actually, this has its own charm" Benimaru crossed his arms and grudgingly admitted it. "[serious]Couldn't my photo page be a little bigger?" Gabiru flipped through the pamphlet looking for his page. The scenic view of Miloana Lake—the miraculous shot of water spray glittering in sunlight—was properly featured on page two. Gabiru's figure wasn't in it. "[sarcastic]It's big enough" "[serious]The problem is I'm not in it" Gobzo narrowed his eyes checking the history section. The story of the founding, the naming, the days when a small settlement gradually grew larger—his words were properly recorded. Gobzo said nothing. He simply closed the page quietly. "[cold]I would have liked to adjust the layout a bit more" Shuna murmured quietly. Ranga plopped down on top of the pamphlet. "[surprised]Ranga, don't sit on it!" The paper was about to wrinkle. Rimuru looked around at everyone while slumping—— Benimaru laughing while covered in ink. Shion apologizing earnestly. Gabiru pointing at his photo page and making a fuss. Shuna quietly straightening the pamphlet. Gobzo watching Ranga with an exasperated expression. Kumos still apologizing. (I love this noise.) He thought so. This was Tempest's true form, he was certain. The pamphlet was decided to be sent to the Kingdom of Blumund and surrounding nations the following week. ──── After everyone left the dining hall, Rimuru remained alone by the window. The sunset painted the roofs of the central city orange. Magical lamps were beginning to glow here and there. Shion, who was about to leave last, turned back at the doorway. "[whispers]Today's pamphlet—I like it because it's so like you, Lord Rimuru" She said it briefly and left with quick steps. Rimuru repeated those words once more in his heart. (Like me, huh.) With an ink-covered group photo as the cover, a catchphrase saying "come visit my home"—that's what Shion said was like him. It was a strange way to compliment him. But it wasn't bad. At his feet, Ranga slowly wagged his tail. "[gentle]……What'll happen next, Ranga" Ranga didn't answer. He just wagged his tail. Rimuru smiled softly and looked up at the sunset sky. When the pamphlet reached the Kingdom of Blumund, what kind of faces would those people make? Would they laugh at the ink-covered photo on the cover, be put off, or——somehow feel like visiting? No one could know what would happen.