Chapter 143: Chapter One Hundred And Forty Three

"So this thing with the council..." Kaede began.

Rimuru immediately groaned while leaning back in his chair. "Please don’t start."

Kaede laughed lightly before raising both hands. "Hey, relax. I’m not here to lecture you about it." Her smile softened slightly afterward. "In the end, it’s your decision."

Rimuru sighed. "But you still want to know why."

Kaede nodded once. "Yeah. Especially after everything we talked about the last time you visited Maple Tree. And after everything that happened with Clayman and Falmuth."

For a few moments, Rimuru stayed quiet. Then he leaned back further into his seat while staring up at the ceiling above.

"My goals never changed," he finally said. "If that’s what you’re asking."

Shuna remained standing quietly behind him, listening silently while moving several documents across the desk. She placed another tray of crepes in the now empty spot.

"Sure," Rimuru continued. "You were right about a lot of things. I was way too naive about how I handled humanity."

His expression darkened slightly.

"The prejudice against monsters was way stronger than I wanted to believe. I thought if I acted peacefully enough, treated humans fairly enough, things would eventually work out naturally."

A bitter smile crossed his face. "Instead, Tempest nearly got destroyed because of it."

Kaede watched him carefully. "And that didn’t change your mind?"

"Not even slightly." The answer came immediately.

Rimuru smiled faintly afterward, and behind him, Shuna’s own expression softened slightly as she listened.

"I still want Tempest to become a nation accepted by everyone," Rimuru said. "Humans. Monsters. Demi-humans. I want all of them to eventually coexist."

Kaede tilted her head slightly. "But why?"

Rimuru blinked.

"I understand wanting Tempest to be recognized," she clarified. "But wanting everyone to genuinely get along?" She folded her arms loosely. "This world isn’t Earth, Rimuru. People here discriminate over race, species, magicules, religion, bloodlines... practically everything."

Rimuru laughed weakly. "Yeah, I noticed."

"No, seriously." Kaede continued. "Hatred here didn’t appear overnight. Some of it has existed for centuries."

"And yet," Rimuru replied, "isn’t that exactly what both our nations are already doing?"

Kaede paused slightly.

Rimuru gestured vaguely around himself.

"Tempest has goblins, ogres, lizardmen, dwarves, beastmen, humans, and adventurers all living together." He looked toward her. "Maple Tree isn’t much different either."

Kaede’s expression shifted slightly at that.

"We already proved coexistence is possible," Rimuru continued. "Maybe not perfectly. Maybe not everywhere. But it works."

For a moment, Kaede didn’t answer. Then she sighed quietly. "It only works because we’re strong, Rimuru."

The atmosphere in the room became slightly quieter after that.

Kaede’s golden eyes remained fixed on him.

"No one causes problems because they know your people are powerful," she explained calmly. "And I consider all of Maple Tree as my family. My children."

"I know that," Rimuru admitted with a sigh.

He rubbed the side of his face tiredly before continuing. "Look, I know it sounds idealistic. Maybe even stupid." He shrugged helplessly. "But I still think it’s possible eventually."

Kaede studied him for several seconds before speaking again.

"You do realize most of the Western Nations are against you, right?"

Rimuru nodded once.

"If you walk into that council meeting now," she continued, "it won’t be negotiations. It’ll basically be Tempest against the rest of the West."

A small smile appeared on Rimuru’s face afterward.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Everyone said pretty much the same thing."

"And they’re right."

"I know."

Kaede frowned slightly at how casually he answered. "You don’t sound worried."

"Oh, I’m definitely worried," Rimuru corrected immediately. "I’m just not backing down."

Behind him, Shuna quietly smiled to herself again.

"So I’m not changing your mind?" Kaede stared at him for a few seconds longer before finally exhaling through her nose. "...No," she admitted. "I’m definitely not changing your mind."

Rimuru grinned slightly. "Thought so."

Kaede shook her head before walking toward one of the chairs across from his desk and sitting down properly this time.

"In that case," she said while crossing one leg over the other, "all I can really do now is make sure this whole thing doesn’t explode in your face."

Rimuru blinked. "...That’s surprisingly supportive."

"Don’t misunderstand." Kaede pointed a finger toward him immediately. "I still think this is ridiculously risky."

"Fair."

"But," she continued, "if Tempest successfully enters the Western Nations’ framework, then eventually Maple Tree is going to have to open up more as well."

That made Rimuru pause slightly.

Kaede leaned back into her chair afterward. "Right now, Maple Tree is isolated enough that most nations leave us alone." She frowned slightly. "But that won’t last forever."

"Especially since you’re openly allied with us." Rimuru added.

"Exactly."

The moment Tempest officially became recognized politically, every major western power would begin reevaluating their relationships.

And Maple Tree sat directly beside Tempest while openly maintaining close ties with them.

Eventually, the West would have no choice but to acknowledge Maple Tree more seriously as well.

Kaede sighed lightly. "Honestly, I was hoping to delay that for another decade."

Veldora suddenly looked up from his manga. "Ten years? That is forever!"

Rimuru immediately pointed toward him. "You’ve literally been alive for thousands of years."

Kaede laughed quietly while Veldora grumbled under his breath before returning to his manga dramatically.

Then Kaede’s expression shifted slightly. "Actually," she said, her tone becoming more thoughtful, "there’s something else I came here for."

Rimuru looked toward her. "Something important?"

"Relax first," she said before continuing. "This isn’t me warning you about another army marching toward Tempest."

Rimuru visibly eased slightly at that. "You really know how to phrase things in the worst way possible."

"Probably."

Shuna quietly placed another cup of tea near Rimuru while listening silently.

Kaede rested one elbow against the armrest afterward. "This information actually came from Sally."

The reaction was immediate. Rimuru’s expression twitched almost instantly.

Kaede sighed the moment she saw it. "There it is."

"I didn’t even say anything."

"You didn’t have to."

Rimuru rubbed the side of his face tiredly while exhaling slowly. "...Sorry."

Kaede’s expression softened slightly afterward. She understood the situation better than most.

This was one of the reasons for her coming here too. She had to know how Rimuru was still feeling about everything.

Sally had done wrong by Tempest.

No matter how logical Rimuru tried to be about it, Sally was still the person responsible for Shuna’s death. Even if Shuna herself held no hatred over it.

And Rimuru blamed himself for that more than anyone else.

So she came here. To check up on one the few people who she knew understood her, were like her. Her friendship with Rimuru wasn’t something she wanted to discard so casually, even if they weren’t exactly close.

"She’s not making a move against Tempest," Kaede clarified calmly. "At least not from what I know."

Rimuru nodded slowly. "...Alright? That really doesn’t make me feel better. Phrase it better next time."

"She actually told me to pass this information to you specifically."

That finally made him focus fully again.

Kaede continued. "It’s about the Moderate Harlequin Alliance."

Rimuru’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"From what we know, Clayman was a member of this organisation. After Sally completed her evolution into a true Demon Lord, she absorbed his soul and went through most of his memories. There she was able to get some information on the group as well as their current leader."

For a brief moment, Kaede studied Rimuru carefully before speaking again.

"She gave me a name specifically because she thought you’d recognize it."

The room became quieter.

"Yuuki Kagurazaka." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Rimuru froze completely.

Kaede immediately noticed the shift in his expression. "...Rimuru?" she asked carefully.

He slowly leaned back into his chair while staring blankly at the desk. "...No way." he muttered under his breath.

Shuna’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Lord Rimuru?"

But Rimuru barely seemed to hear her.

Yuuki.

The chairman of the Freedom Association.

The smiling otherworlder who always acted harmless.

His thoughts immediately began connecting together rapidly.

Information leaks.

Clayman’s actions.

Hinata.

The timing of multiple incidents. Too many things suddenly made sense at once. "...That bastard." Rimuru whispered.

Kaede frowned slightly. "So you do know him."

Rimuru laughed weakly once before covering part of his face with one hand. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. "I know him."

Then he looked back up toward her.

"He’s the chairman of the Freedom Association," Rimuru explained. "An otherworlder."

Kaede blinked once. "...Seriously?"

"Yeah." Rimuru’s expression slowly hardened now.

"And if Sally’s right..." he murmured, "...then one of the most influential people in the West has secretly been connected to the Harlequin Alliance this entire time."

Even Shuna’s expression darkened slightly after hearing that.

Veldora meanwhile slowly lowered his manga. "...Is that bad?"

Rimuru stared at him flatly. "Yes, Veldora. That’s very bad. He’s been the one screwing me over."

"Oh. Then payback is in order!"

"Will you settle down?" Rimuru deadpanned. Then he turned to Kaede. "Mind if we take a break for a bit?"

Kaede shrugged. "I don’t mind."

[xxx]

Shifu chuckled lightly as he lowered his katana back into its sheath. "You’re getting slow in your old age, old man."

Hakurou narrowed his eyes immediately. "It seems I didn’t beat enough sense into you during that spar, little brat."

The training grounds around them had been thoroughly devastated by the brief exchange between the two swordsmen. Deep slashes carved through the stone floor while several sections of the reinforced walls had been split apart entirely from stray shockwaves alone.

Even the air still carried lingering traces of their magicules.

Despite the destruction however, the spectators watching nearby looked far more excited than concerned.

Gobta and the Tempest Wolf Riders stared with sparkling eyes filled with admiration.

To them, the clash between Hakurou and Shifu had looked less like swordsmanship and more like legends coming to life.

Nearby, Gabiru and his three loyal subordinates stood equally stunned while loudly discussing every movement they thought they had managed to follow.

Shoto, Shion’s otherworlder disciple, remained completely speechless.

Meanwhile, Geld and several orcs watched quietly from the side with respectful expressions. Unlike the others, they understood exactly how terrifying the two elderly oni truly were.

"Oh?" Shifu grinned while stretching his shoulders casually. "You want another round already? Fine by me." His smile widened slightly. "I’d like to see which one of us collapses from exhaustion first. You’re not exactly overflowing with youthful vigor anymore."

Hakurou snorted softly. "And you still lack the refinement worthy of the title you keep chasing."

Shifu raised a brow. "You saying I’m not worthy of being called a Savant yet?"

"Not even remotely close." Hakurou replied immediately before laughing under his breath. "After all, you’ve yet to surpass these old bones."

"Ah, there it is." Shifu laughed loudly. "The bitterness of old age."

The moment those words left his mouth, Hakurou’s eye twitched.

Then... SHING.

A silver slash crossed the field instantly.

The entire training ground split apart.

A deep line carved straight through the stone floor from one end of the field to the other while several distant walls cracked from the pressure alone.

The spectators immediately panicked.

"W-WHOA?!"

Gobta nearly fell over backwards while Gabiru screamed dramatically about assassination attempts.

Shifu however simply laughed while stepping casually to the side. "Hahaha! There it is! That’s the spirit!"

Hakurou slowly lowered his blade with a completely calm expression. "Next time, I shall aim properly."

"And I shall survive every time."

"Unfortunate."

Nearby, Geld sighed quietly while several orcs immediately began discussing repairs with exhausted expressions.

Shogo meanwhile crossed his arms while shaking his head. "Seriously... why are old men always like this?"

"Because old people are scary." Gobta answered immediately.

"Correct." Gabiru nodded solemnly.

Before the conversation could continue however, Shifu’s ears twitched slightly.

He turned around just in time to see two familiar figures approaching from the far end of the training grounds.

Shion waved casually.

Beside her, Shuna walked calmly with her hands folded neatly together.

The moment Shifu saw them properly, his expression brightened immediately.

"Well now." he grinned. "There are my nieces."

Shuna giggled softly behind her sleeve while stepping forward politely. "It’s good to see you again, Uncle Shifu."

"There’s my favorite."

Shion’s eyes narrowed instantly. "Oi."

"You are my second favorite." Shifu laughed again before stepping toward them both. His sharp eyes quickly scanned over Shuna carefully.

"Hoh..." Shifu muttered quietly.

Shuna tilted her head slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Shifu answered honestly. "You just changed more than I expected."

Shion smirked proudly from the side. "She’s been training like crazy."

"I heard." Shifu nodded slowly before glancing toward Hakurou. "Apparently this old fossil has been putting her through hell."

Hakurou snorted softly. "Only because she requested it."

"That serious huh..."

Shifu looked back toward Shuna again.

"You’ve been training hard." Shifu observed.

Shuna nodded once. "I have."

"Hm."

For a few moments, Shifu simply studied her quietly.

Then suddenly... "So." he grinned. "How badly did Benimaru lose?"

"HEY." Benimaru’s voice immediately snapped from nearby.

Everyone turned slightly to see him approaching from the direction of the city gates after finishing his escort duties.

Shifu laughed loudly again before his eyes shifted back toward Shuna.

Then his grin softened slightly.

"...Still," he said more quietly this time, "I’m glad to see you standing here properly."

The atmosphere shifted slightly afterward.

Shuna smiled gently. "So am I."

After a few moments, Benimaru suddenly looked around curiously. "Speaking of which, where’s Lord Rimuru? I thought you said you were going to be with him."

"In his office." Shuna answered calmly. "He’s currently continuing his discussion with Lady Kaede."

Shuna smiled faintly. "The meeting will continue again during dinner tonight." She looked toward Shifu afterward. "Which is why we came to see you."

Shifu blinked once.

Shuna’s expression softened slightly. "You’re family after all."

For once, Shifu actually looked caught off guard.

Then he scratched the back of his head awkwardly before laughing under his breath.

"...Careful saying stuff like that." he muttered. "You’ll make an old man emotional."

"You?" Hakurou snorted. "Impossible."

"Want me to prove otherwise?"

"No."

"Yes."

The two elderly oni immediately glared at each other again while magicules started rising around them.

"Ah..." Gobta sighed tiredly. "They’re gonna destroy the training grounds again."