Dominant Run!

Menacing Messenger, Testarossa!

Ciel: <>

Voice of the World: <<>>

******

It had been three days since Treyni's visit, and once again Rimuru found himself sitting in his living room, accompanied by Shizu, Framea, and Testarossa. Enjoying his coffee, he quietly listened as Shizu and Testarossa discussed something about the village, while Framea sat on the ground between Shizu's legs, getting her hair combed.

Ever since his conversation with Testarossa, her mood and attitude had improved significantly. In fact, in his opinion, her attitude was even better than before. When he talked to Shizu about this, he noticed a variety of emotions flicker across her face before she smiled and complimented him on how well he handled the situation with Testarossa. He accepted the compliment, ignoring the smug, smiling Ciel in the back of his mind.

Just as Testarossa and Shizu's conversation came to an end, Moss appeared in front of Rimuru, kneeling on one knee. "Rimuru-sama, I have information regarding the Orc Lord," he said, continuing when Rimuru gestured for him to proceed. "It turns out that Demon Lord Clayman is behind this whole scenario."

'Huh? Moss figured this out so quickly,' Rimuru thought, impressed by Moss's efficiency. 'Then again, he serves Testarossa, who usually has a no-nonsense attitude toward her servants.'

"Moss, give me the details. How did you figure out Clayman's involvement?" Rimuru asked as he leaned back on the sofa.

"After receiving instructions from you, Rimuru-sama, I easily located the marching Orc army and started monitoring them. Lord, there are roughly 200,000 orcs, and surprisingly, they are all equipped with well-made armor and weapons."

"Is their entire army decked out in equipment?" Framea asked, receiving a nod in response. "That's strange. Orcs are not generally known for trading with humans. And even if they did trade, I doubt they would have enough money or barter goods to equip their entire army."

"Yes, I found it strange as well, so I followed their army and learned a few things," Moss continued. "Lord, the Orc army is marching through the forest with little rest between their conquests. So far, they have attacked three small monster settlements and consumed their bodies."

"Consumed their bodies?" Shizu asked, looking disgusted, with Framea sharing the same reaction.

"I assume this is due to the Unique Skill [Starved]," Rimuru explained. "It's a skill that every Orc Lord is born with, allowing them to absorb the properties of any monster they eat."

"So the Orcs' goal here isn't just to conquer the forest, but to steal its power instead," Shizu speculated.

"That does seem to be the case," Rimuru remarked, gesturing for Moss to continue.

"Yesterday, after their most recent conquest, a Majin named Gelmud met with the Orc Lord and was boasting about himself," Moss said. "I left one of my clones with the Orc army and followed the Majin, which led me to Demon Lord Clayman's castle. There, I discovered some information that I thought you would find valuable."

"Oh, do tell," Rimuru said, leaning forward.

"Yesterday, Clayman had a meeting with three other Demon Lords," Moss continued. "He had invited Beast Master Carrion, Sky Queen Frey, and The Destroyer Milim Nava."

"I don't know about Carrion and Frey, but Milim Nava joining them would be troublesome," Shizu said.

"Troublesome? Are you crazy!?" Framea exclaimed. "Demon Lord Milim is considered as strong as Demon Lord Guy. We definitely don't want her as our enemy!"