The World's Ego

Day of the Festival

Rimuru POV

The sky was clear, welcoming the official beginning of the Founding Festival.

If dark clouds try to kill this good mood, I'll just blow them away!

Right now, I was on the stage in front of the Central Office, the streets that lead to this building was packed with people of different races and status. When everything seemed to be ready, I held the microphone in my hand, trying to remain dignified without accidentally falling into my usual cheerful self for now.

"Everyone, I am Demon Lord Rimuru and it is a pleasure to meet you all. Thank you all for coming to my kingdom upon invitation. Although for some of you, this may be your first time here, please be at ease. While it is a fact that I have become a new Demon Lord, I do not have any intentions to antagonize humans. I simply wish to build a kingdom where everyone, regardless of race, can live in peace and harmony. As opposed to fighting with each other, I believe that humans and monsters should cooperate. It is in this way that we can build a better future for everyone."

I observed the reactions of the audience, every one of them listening intently as I continued.

"Some of you may be cautious of the fact that I am a Demon Lord, and it is understandable, but I hope that everyone would put trust in your genuine feelings. I will not force my views upon you, but it would certainly bring me pleasure and joy if you find me trustworthy. Even if you do not trust me, that is fine. Trust cannot be built overnight, rather, it is through persistent communication in the future, which I will not rush towards. To the fellow nobles gathered here today, I hope that you will relay what you see and hear today honestly when you return to your respective nations. There are some kingdoms that have already established diplomatic ties with us. Even if you cannot put your faith in us, do you not find those nations trustworthy? I hope that you will not be prejudiced simply because I am a monster and a Demon Lord."

This is a decision that they can only make as a whole nation, after all. I don't expect them to not hold these prejudiced thoughts for the time being, but... a fair warning must still be said.

"I will not wage wars simply for the fact that you will not cooperate with us, however, if you treat us unfairly due to our monster status, or attack us with the intention of invading, that is something we will absolutely not tolerate. This is something that everyone must already know about after seeing what happened to the Kingdom of Falmuth. Whether you're a merchant, adventurer, or commoner, I swear to not lay my hands on any common civilians. That will not apply to criminals, however. Our country is lacking in manpower, thus there are plenty of jobs available, and if anyone wishes to fill an empty role, they can consider immigrating here. Of course, with more people comes more opportunities. Here, you will have freedom of speech and the ability to choose the occupation that you desire. Even so, please act and speak responsibly. If you are still interested in our nation after my speech, please consider my proposition. There are all sorts of events planned for our nation in the future as well. Today's Founding Festival is but the first debut project. With all that said, I hope everyone will have fun!"

My speech had finally concluded and after a few beats of silence, deafening cheers broke out in the crowd, not just from my residents but the other visitors as well. I gave the crowd a smile and thus, the beginning of our Founding Festival began.

...

After the speech, I made my way into the main hall and the kids were already surrounding me when they saw me.

"Sensei turned out to be the Queen of this country?" Kenya asked

"Oh, I didn't mention it? Maybe you can show me a bit more respect now, Kenya-kun!" I teased the boy