★109
ASTERI'S POV
The next day, as scheduled, Rimuru gave his speech, though I didn't attend in person, I heard what he said.
After the announcement, we went to a concert hall. Each nation Rimuru deemed major had a special vip section, and with Star Island being one of the major ones, we had our space.
For the concert, I went along with Hinata, Athena, and Elaine. Atlas and Annie were nowhere to be found, and Elfaria wanted to be with Elmesia. They must be related after all.
The four of us sat in the vip section, waiting for the performance.
The curtains rose, revealing a group of Tempestians poised with various musical instruments in hand, ready to enchant the hall with a symphony that would bless our ears.
"I'm not into music, But even I—feel this."
I murmured, watching Shion playing the bow of a violin dancing like wind across strings. The other playing their musical instrument in perfect harmony.
The hall was silent, yet not quiet. Every note pulled at something beneath the surface, threads I hadn't known were frayed.
"It's not just sound."
I continued, more to myself than anyone.
"It's memory and something beyond words. They're not playing for applause. They're confessing."
Athena clung to my sleeve, eyes wide with wonder. Even the little slime on her shoulder had stopped bouncing, as though it, too, was listening. I leaned back slightly, letting the music pour over me. No magicule, no divine code just natural harmony.
"It's strange how something I don't need—reaches somewhere even I didn't know existed."
The hall felt silent after the performance, and I rose from my seat, my hands coming together in a calm rhythm.
Rimuru, the crowd, everyone was taken aback by my sudden reaction, but I don't give a damn. My steady claps echoed before the crowd.bWhispers and murmurs were flying from the crowd, yet, they gave in amd joined, applauding. How "human-like".
With the concert ended, a technology presentation was held in the afternoon.
My crew were still missing, but Hinata, Elaine, and Athena stuck around, and we headed to the site.
From the looks of it, Milim and her subordinates left, so all that's left are the representatives of other nations. The presentation wasn't that big of a deal. All they did was advertise their healing portions.
What surprised me more was the portion that can work on weapons, and that theory was based on healing portions only work on things that have an affinity with magicules.
They went on and talked about more science bullshit and that was pretty much it for the day.
After sunset, I went back to Star Island, spearheading the Star Army and Star Navy.
What did I do? You know, I just went there and we had some talk. It started awkwardly, but it went on well later on.
With myself, the Star General and Admiral hanging out, a lot of soldiers began opening up, and the ice wall between a monarch like me and his subjects began melting. The promised hour took a whole night, and it'll soon be daybreak.
I decided it's time I headed back but I didn't come back alone. I took five random soldiers from each faction, and we left. By the time we arrived, the coliseum was filling with people, and I teleported to where Hinata was.
Surprisingly, the VIP section was flooded with several important figures, but our seats were still available. The vip section has four steps just like mine, and we're at the front row along with Rimuru and his close friends, I suppose.
"You're late. Or should I say just in time?"
She asked, Athena seated next to her.
"I wasn't expecting this."
"I know."
"Just in time, Sensei."
"Of course."
I took my seat next.
"The Tempest Martial Arts Tournament will now begin!"
Souka announced!
"What? Why a long name?"
"I don't know. Tempest Tournament feels a bit short, and it'll be like I'm imitating you."
"You are, but you did it a lot better. You have over ten thousand people here. The maximum seat I offered was five hundred at max. And people from Raja also came to watch."
"That's too small, don't you think?"
"It's planned. He projected live streams of the matches all around the island. If you can't get to the arena, you can sit back and watch from your homes and shops."
Hinata answered.
"O..oh—that's so ingenious."
"Eyes on the arena. I'm interested to see what you've planned."
I said, and he nodded.
"The Elite Four. This is what we call the four strongest warriors in Tempest who have been chosen to protect Demon Lord Rimuru!"
"Benimaru, Shion, Diablo, and the fourth seat will be claimed by one of the fighters who have made it through the preliminaries.
However, among them are those who joined this tournament to defeat Demon Lord Rimuru! Will the winner claim a position in the Elite Four or simply be added to Demon Lord Rimuru's head count?! The Tempest Martial Arts Tournament will now begin!"
"'Elite Four', huh?"
"This will be interesting."
I smirked. Just like mine but with few participants and the matches ended rather quickly.
Among the participants, someone caught my attention, and I couldn't wait to see what he would bring for us.
The next day, we headed to the coliseum with just the four of us.
"I, Souka, will be your host for today's event. I'll now introduce the six fighters who made it through yesterday's preliminaries. First up is our most popular participant: the young Hero Masayuki!"
And what came next was supposed to surprise me but it didn't. A magic screen materialised, protecting the young hero.
"Hmm, I knew you could do it, but you did it rather too soon."
He smiled in response. The crowd was taken aback by what was going on because this is a technology that has never been used in this world except by me.
Now, Rimuru has done it in front of the world, stealing all the glory.
Masayuki approached the centre of the arena, the crowd welcoming him as usual.
"Revel in how lucky you are to behold his brave countenance!"
Souka glazed.
"No one has witnessed his swordsmanship? How did he get this far in the tournament, then?"
Rimuru questioned, and Souie materialised to give him a report.
"Well, I was unable to discern his true abilities yesterday. He isn't the only one."
"Huh?"
"And our second fighter is the second warrior, Jinrai! Also known as the Mad Wolf, he is Hero Masayuki's right-hand man!"
"Because of him. That man, a companion of Masayuki's, mowed down a quarter of the competition in the preliminaries and gave his victory to the Hero. That's how Masayuki won his way to the top without even drawing his sword."
"So we still don't know what the Hero are really capable of?"
"Third, the Flowing Swordsman, Gaiye! Amid a vibrant rain of blood, the graceful beauty of his movements will capture the hearts of all the onlookers! Our fourth fighter, Bovix, head of the Bovoids! And fifth, Bovix's eternal rival, Equix, head of the Equinoids!"
'My target hasn't yet appeared, but he will soon.'
"Dungeon?"
"Next, the mysterious masked man who showed us his incredible strength in yesterday's preliminaries! Is he a hero of justice or a servant of evil? Scarlet King! Known for ending his matches in less than 30 seconds and a single punch was all he needed to take the win!"
'That's him.'
"That's him. Due to his zero pattern, I can't say much about him except for the fact that he's a person of interest."
Souie informed Rimuru.
"And where does he come from?"
"We don't know yet. That name isn't registered on our list. He's probably under a fake alias."
'Souie is right about that. No matter how careful Scarlet King is, he can never hide his signature from me. 60% of his total magical energy is part of mine. Who's this imposter?'
I questioned.
This is someone who's witnessed the Star Tournament and is replicating Scarlet King here. Regardless of who he is, I'll find him. He should pray to whichever deity he worships that he has a good reason for impersonating my guardian.
After the fake Scarlet King, Gobta, and Geld, two Tempestians were added to make a total of eight participants.
Rimuru descended rather dramatically for someone who's this close to the arena to give a short speech. A tournament bracelet was displayed for us to know how they paired.
Bovix v Equix
Masayuki v Jinrai
(Jinrai forfeited the match, resulting in a default win for Masayuki)
Gaiye v Gobta
Geld v Scarlet King
Here's how it proceeded...
Bovix v Masayuki
(The same thing happened here. The hero preached nonsense, and Equix withdrew from the match, giving Masayuki another win.)
Scarlet King v Gobta.
"What the hell is this going on? Is this a Hero's luck? This dude barely moved, and he's made it to the finals."
"Well, let's see if his 'luck' can give him the upper hand against brute dominance."
Hinata replied.
"It's reassuring to know you're supporting an imposter. That way, I know he'll win for sure."
I replied with a smile.
Tomorrow, the finals will be held, and it'll be Masayuki v Scarlet King.
As the match began, Masayuki gave us final preaching before withdrawing from the match. He's been honest. I get that. To be able to reach the finals and your opponent is some who end a match in less than thirty seconds.
Forfeiting the match is a wise choice but not brave. Let the worthy take the seat. Despite giving up, he wasn't booed. They cheered for him.
"I can see threads from the spectators linking up to him. However, few among us aren't bound by that thread."
"You can see that?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, it's probably a skill who knows."
"A skill that boosts one's charisma?"
"Grand Lord's world. Anything may be possible."
I shrugged, not interested in the topic.
The next day, we were in the coliseum, and a "dungeon" would be open today for some people to test it.
Last night, I returned the fifteen soldiers and spent some time with the army before picking up the new set of soldiers.
"All right, the time has come! I now bring you the final event of the final day of our Nation's Opening Festival."
Souka announced.
"What we're about to show you is a small part of Tempest's very own impregnable dungeon!
"Behold!"
A cute voice cast and a magic circle appeared in the arena, a gate emerging from it.
"That cute voice. Lady Ramiris."
I turned.
"Oh, hey Asta kun."
"So you really are enjoying Tempest?"
"Well—yeah. Kind of. The fun here is endless. If you like what you see, I'll stay here, but if you don't, I'll pack my bags and relocate to your island got it?"
"Just tell me straight forward, goddammit."
I shook my head, ignoring the traitorous Fairy Queen.
A group of adventurers have registered to take part, and fortunately, Yami's party was also present.
Eren gave a heartfelt speech, while her father, Elalude, was in tears, his little girl hadn't come home. Elmesia, however, found his blubbering annoying... so she gave him a firm slap. Family issues. Elafria also seemed to be enjoying herself, ignoring my whole existence.
'I'll find a way to get back at her. That's a promise.'
Masayuki's party, as well as the stupid red-haired Gaiye, will also be raiding the dungeon. I wonder if I should tell Guy some lowly human is impersonating him. He'll end up wiping that innocent nation, that's for sure.
"And now it's time to get started. You can watch each party's attempt at conquering the dungeon on those magically protected giant screens."
The crowd burst into awe, having to see such technology shown twice in a week.
"Now you're replicating my works and stealing my glory."
I complained, but Rimuru just laughed it off. Four Dryads were assigned as caretakers of the labyrinth.
"Now, I'll explain the rules. First, I'll give you all these."
Long story short, she gave them a resurrection bracelet that can be used within the labyrinth. One of Rimuru's friends experimented on my Gaiye.
However, I'm not in charge here, so I don't care. The fun part is that he was resurrected after being killed by Gaiye. That's pretty much it for the rules. According to what I have heard.
We spent the rest of our time watching them struggle through the dungeon as they climbed deeper into the labyrinth. Eren's party was great. They haven't fallen for any traps and were finding treasure chests one after the other.
Having a clone participate is overkill. Be it someone like Yami or Eto, the result will be far beyond average.
Was smart enough to bribe the foolish Fairy Queen with snacks in exchange for information regarding the traps and treasure chest. We later came to know about the bosses after ten floors.
With Yami on that team, I can't see what's stopping them from clearing this labyrinth. After acquiring a super rare item, Tempest Sword, they took a break and the labyrinth for now.
After hours of participating, the time was up, and those still in the labyrinth were flushed out.
Once again, Rimuru walked down (not in a dramatic way) with a mic in hand.
"What did you think? Did you enjoy our dungeon? We plan to officially open it to the public in the near future. And I'll guarantee your safety. So, if it has piqued your interest, please give it a shot. And all those who succeed in conquering all 100 floors will earn the right to challenge me!"
"That's great. I'm interested."
I murmured to myself.
On the last night of the Nation's Opening Festival, a grand soiree was held. As usual, a table of nine was created because the lovey-dovey couple came back, and the lost elf found her way home. Nine, right?
Well, out of interest, Rimuru and Towa joined us. We ate, drank, and laughed, and for the first time, I felt truly human. All the shops in town were opened up free of charge, and the locals were joined by merchants, adventurers, and farmers.
I sneaked out with Lady Athena after having the clones bring all the children. They were here already, wandering through Tempest, I just need them in one place.
I took this chance to roam the city with all eight of them. Athena was hesitant at first, clinging to my sleeve, her fingers curled tightly. The children's laughter and carefree energy slowly drew her out.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she reached out to chase after one of the smaller kids, stumbling slightly before catching her balance.
In minutes, she was laughing along with them, moving as naturally as the others despite the difference in size.
Watching her, I felt a small tug in my chest—a recognition that this was a step forward. Even if I had to pair her with children of different races, if it helped her blossom, I'd do it. I refused to let her grow into a lonely person.
We wandered through the city, passing open squares where humans and monsters mingled freely. Music floated through the air, and the scent of grilled meat and sweet pastries mingled with the ocean breeze.
At the centre of the largest square, a group of humans and monsters were hand-in-hand, singing and dancing in perfect synchrony. For a moment, I let myself watch, inhaling the warmth of this unity. It was fragile, fleeting, but beautiful.
I spotted Rimuru moving alone and instinctively followed him. He was standing on the hill outside the city, the wind tousling his hair and catching the edges of his cloak.
I followed up quietly beside him. It was that spot. Yami had been here before me; I could see Rimuru standing silently at the hilltop, his gaze down below.
"I knew you'd come here."
I said.
"Sensei? I thought—"
"Don't worry. Someone is taking care of the kids."
I stepped closer, letting the wind whip around us, and we stood shoulder to shoulder.
"I wish this peace could last forever."
He said, his voice softer.
"Even for us, stars, some things are destined to end." I replied, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Death?"
"Nop."
"Then what is it?"
"Honestly, I don't know. The real me knows anything can be eternal, but here I am, contradicting that thought."
I felt the words resonate, stirring something unfamiliar in me.
"It's a sign you're changing."
He said quietly.
"A god… trying to become human. Strange, isn't it? Many seek divinity, yet you desire something else entirely."
"Yes. We have differences. And just now, a new emotion blossoms within me."
My voice softer than intended.
"What…?"
He tilted my head, searching my expression. I wonder if he could see it.
"Sadness."
I said.
"With the festival over, I feel a little hollow—ss if a moment I may never experience again has slipped away."
I hesitated, the wind tugging at my hair.
"You can host anything you want, anytime. Or I can do it for you, so you can attend without worry."
He shook his head, eyes never leaving the horizon.
"I appreciate it, but… I'm not much of a fan of doing something to make myself feel better."
'Look who's talking,' I thought bitterly.
"It's a sign you're changing. A god trying to become a human. It's weird because many people want to be god, yet you want to be something different."
"Yes. We have differences, and just now, a new emotion blossoms within me."
"What's that?"
"Sadness. With the festival over, I feel a little sad. A feeling that there might not be another time when I experience this. It seems like a shame to let it all come to an end."
"What are you talking about? You can host anything you want anytime, or I can do it for you so you can attend."
"I appreciate it, but thanks. I'm not much of a fan of doing something to make myself feel better."
'Look who's talking.'
'Read between the lines bastard. I'm not much of a fan, I may do it, but I don't find it satisfying.'
I sighed, keeping Entares off my mind.
"I just can't stop thinking how perfect and complete you've become."
"There you go again."
He teased, but I'm going to be honest here.
"I was the first to prohibit species discrimination… not that it mattered much. I saved the weak, punished the cruel. But you—"
I paused, swallowing.
"you've taken it further. You didn't just unite races. You changed the way they see the world. And somehow… they accepted it."
"You don't have to blame yourself. With an experience like mine, you could have done more. Something even I couldn't surpass."
"I do have experience."
I admitted, voice steady. Unlike what you'll experience.
"But I can't create a world system housing finite to infinite dimensional training grounds, nor construct an order that binds and restrains a nation and its people. It's—unthinkable."
"I understand, sensei. But like you said, copying isn't my style. I could never exert my imagination fully without your insight. You inspired me, shaped the world I create. If I am to bring a new dawn, you are my mentor… the script I follow to bring this civilisation into being. I build the physical… but you hold the conceptual. Nothing manifests without form first."
"I know."
I turned, meeting his gaze.
"You're doing a great job. Take on my will and build a new world, even after I'm gone, will you?"
"If that's what you want, I will make it my top priority."
"A side task is enough, but that decision is yours."
I replied. I can't have him living his life to do what I say. That's manipulation, I don't want that.
"I won't disappoint you, Sensei. Your teachings won't go to waste."
"I'm glad you're my student."
I said, extending an arm. Before he could react, I hugged him.
He froze, the sudden contact sending a flutter through me as well. It went for few second before I released him.
"No. I'm glad you found me."
He said, face still flustered.
"I guess this is goodbye for now."
I murmured.
"I'm afraid so."
He replied softly.
"When you open that dungeon, I have soldiers to train."
I added with a faint smile.
"You can count on me."
He said, returning the smile, letting the wind brush past us one last time before I vanished in a shimmer of light.
The next day, the hotel was nowhere to be found within Tempest, and everyone woke up in the presence of the lovely morning sun and the cold breeze from the sea.
NT4End:)
To be continued...