The medical room of Volga Hall was still bathed in the pale morning light. A thin shaft of sunlight cut through the stone walls from the window. Benimaru, sitting on a wooden bed, had removed his upper armor and exposed his right shoulder. A deep gash. It went all the way to the muscle beneath. Shuna tilted the bottle carefully. A viscous liquid dripped onto the wound. Recovery medicine infused with Volcera honey——normally used without concern for quantity, one of Tempest's prized remedies. But today she was being cautious, applying it in half the usual amount. "[serious]It will take three days. With only this much honey, until it closes completely" Benimaru's brow twitched slightly. His face was one of suppressed pain. "[cold]Understood" "[serious]Don't move. Your shoulder" "[cold]I know" Shuna carefully spread the medicine. From one edge of the wound to the other, methodically. Rimuru stood by the wall, watching. He was searching for words of encouragement. "You'll be fine," or "It'll heal soon," something like that. But last night kept spinning in his head, and nothing came out. He kept thinking about that moment. He'd activated Predator. Changed his body into slime form, tried to take in the target. It bounced off the pale blue magical essence covering Galmburg like he'd pressed a rubber sheet against it. The skill had whiffed. In that single beat, Benimaru had stepped in. To protect him. （Can't say it） Rimuru leaned against the wall and thought that. Not now. Not when Benimaru was wounded, not when Shuna was exhausted. There was no way he could say "My skill didn't work" in this situation. Benimaru grimaced at the wound and spoke in a low voice. "[serious]Next time, I'll finish it for sure" His voice wasn't broken. He spoke as if he was certain he'd be able to fight in three days. Rimuru started to open his mouth. Tried to say something. But the words wouldn't come. He couldn't say "Yeah, that's right" or "Don't push yourself." Shuna stood up and returned the empty medicine bottle to the tray. She turned back for just a moment as she headed toward the medical room door. Toward Rimuru. Rimuru remained leaning against the wall, his gaze falling weakly. Shuna said nothing. She closed the door quietly. --- A map lay spread across the conference room table. A record of damages written in Shuna's meticulous handwriting. Red marks scattered across various points on the map. Where the apiary had been, the farming villages trampled by the swarm, the locations where goblin guards had been injured. "[serious]The currently operational apiaries are now one-third of what they were" Shuna pointed to the numbers at the edge of the map. "[serious]If we continue trying to defend them, the goblin guards will suffer further injuries. That is……certain" Rimuru listened in silence. "[serious]We may need to temporarily abandon all the apiaries. I would like you to consider a proposal to evacuate the goblin beekeepers living in the surrounding areas to Rimurus" Shuna's voice was slightly strained. As she made the proposal, Rimuru could tell she herself hated those words. The Tempest Coexistence Decree. The fundamental law of this nation, sworn to protect coexistence beyond the boundaries of race. And now that nation was about to drive its own people from their land. Rimuru couldn't answer immediately. He wanted to say "That's not it." He wanted to say "There's another way." But the numbers on the map were honest. He could see that Shuna's conclusion was close to the best option available at this moment. Shuna didn't rush him. She simply placed the report quietly in front of Rimuru and waited. Rimuru spoke in a low voice. "[serious]……Just prepare for the evacuation" Shuna nodded slightly. --- In the afternoon, Rimuru visited the assembly hall of Rimurus. It was where the goblin beekeepers had gathered. Inside the large stone building, bags of packed belongings were lined up. Adults sat hunched against the walls. The sound of children's voices only made the quiet air more pronounced. The elderly goblin in charge of beekeeping stood up. Deep wrinkles on his face, mixed with exhaustion and apology. "[sad]Because of us, we've caused trouble for the nation……" "[serious]That's not it" Rimuru said that. But the words wouldn't continue. He wanted to say "It's not your fault," but he didn't know what to say after that. He couldn't say "Don't worry" or "You'll be able to go home soon." Not now. Then came small footsteps. A goblin child came running, pitter-pattering. About knee-height for an adult, with large eyes wet with tears. "[crying]The bear is scary……I want to go home……!" The child grabbed the hem of Rimuru's clothes with both hands. Rimuru knelt down. He brought his eyes level with the child's. Then, gently, he embraced them. He couldn't say anything. He wanted to say "You can go home." He wanted to say "It's okay now." But his mouth wouldn't move. He just held them. The child sobbed at first. Pressing their face against Rimuru's clothes, whimpering. After a while, wiping away tears, the child poked Rimuru's cheek. "[surprised]……The Demon Lord is squishy" They said it softly. With a curious expression. They poked again. Squishy. "[laughing]So soft……!" A small laugh escaped from the adults in the assembly hall. Rimuru also let out a wry smile despite himself. "[sarcastic]It's because I'm slime-based. Can't help it……" The child poked again. Squishy squishy. They were starting to enjoy it. The adults' laughter grew a little louder. The air in the assembly hall loosened, just for a moment. But the child sobbed again. "[crying]……Still, home is better" A small voice. An obvious thing to say. Rimuru's chest tightened. On the way back to Volga Hall, Rimuru didn't speak a single word. --- Night came. In the dead of night, Rimuru climbed to the roof of Volga Hall. He placed his hand on the stone railing and looked down at the city of Rimurus. Points of magical essence lamps spread out below. The goblin residential district, the oni-human quarter, the streets where the lizardmen lived. This city where people of different races lived quietly together. The night wind was cold. Damp air from the forest hit his face. Old memories stirred in his mind. The previous world. Back when the company was starting to collapse. The boss, the coworkers, everyone was working desperately. Still, the numbers kept getting worse. There was nothing he could do. He just processed documents, attended meetings, nodded, and that was it. He just watched as something broke down irreversibly. Reincarnated. Became a slime. Became a demon lord. And yet. Predator doesn't work. Benimaru is wounded. The people are being driven from their homes. The production of recovery medicine has stopped. Trade agreements are wavering. Rimuru crouched down, leaning his body against the railing. "……I can't protect them" A voice no one could hear. Not directed at the stone-paved city below, not at the sky, just a voice dissolving into the night. "I'm a demon lord, and yet……I can't do anything" His voice trembled slightly. Then. From the northwest——beyond the Mist Gate in the great forest. Light rose up. Pale blue. Not a thin pillar, but massive. A pillar of light stretching straight to the heavens. So large it was visible even from Rimurus. The ground shook with a dull thud. The stone pavement of Rimurus trembled low. The magical essence lamps flickered. ——A thought transmission came in. From the scout squad stationed at the Mist Gate. A massive individual was moving south from the deep forest. A body more than twice the size of a normal Galmburg. If it continued, it would reach Rimurus's outer walls. Rimuru gripped the stone railing. His fingers turned white from the force. Predator doesn't work. Benimaru's shoulder still isn't closed. Shuna's magical essence is still recovering. And yet. He clenched his teeth. （Still, I have to stand against it. That's what it means to be a demon lord） In that moment. There was a vibration in his jacket pocket. Rimuru put his hand in. Pulled it out. Placed it in his palm. A rune stone. The pale blue stone he'd picked up in the ruins of the apiary in the great forest. The stone he'd kept in his pocket all this time. It was pulsing. In the exact same rhythm as the light pillar to the northwest. Rimuru stared at the stone. The stone glows. The light pillar glows. The stone glows. The light pillar glows. They were in sync. The rhythm was perfectly aligned. This stone——and that light——were connected. （A key……is it?） He didn't know. He still didn't know anything. With Predator still sealed, he had no idea how to face the super-sized individual, what this stone was, no clues at all. But Rimuru gripped the stone tightly. In the depths of the night, there was one faint, barely perceptible pulse.