Chapter 121 - Aftermath

Chaos ensued all over the nations in the west. News of the alliance to defeat the Demon of the Forest being defeated with almost no survivors left everyone speechless and in fear.

Only the Holy Knights who were stationed in a different location to sneak attack the city managed to put up a fight with the literal Demon and left with most of their men.

Even then, they had lost too many to call it a successful retreat after more monsters came to attack them.

From the main army, many deserters managed to reach human settlements like border towns and cities. Their bodies fully injured with a purple mark on their skin, which people are now calling the Purple Skin disease.

While they were physically able to reach some semblance of sanctuary by leaving the borders of the forest, their minds were ruined too much for them to properly function back into society.

In fact, after several days of caring for their injuries, the Purple Skin began to spread more to their bodies and even to those who dared tend to their wounds.

From what people have managed to gather from the early-stage infected by the disease, it left excruciating pain on their bodies. They could feel their blood moving through their bodies with intense heat like lava.

Their skin hurt with any type of contact, their pain receptors heightened to a degree that even wind or dust could feel like knives stabbing into their bodies. Worse were their senses. They had been seeing delusions in the later stages of infection.

They reported seeing magical beasts, the deaths of loved ones, the feeling of being burnt, drowning, even bugs crawling through their orifices.

In the end, every single one infected by the Purple Skin disease died. After realizing that they were contagious, the people quickly began hunting them down and killing every single one before they could spread.

Even then, the infected would eventually commit suicide after the pain was too much for them to handle. They were given a lesser dosage by Ultima so they could be able to tell what they experienced during the battle as well as infect a few to strike more fear and give validity to their stories.

"Hey, have you heard?" A man in a tavern began as more people sat with him. "I heard more Purple Skin infected were found near the hills east of Blumund."

"Yeah," another nodded, "I heard the soldiers are being deployed to make sure they don't cause an epidemic."

A man in his late forties chugged his drink before slamming it onto the table. "That damn Demon really is a threat to humanity."

"Hey, shh!" The first one said worriedly, looking around. "Are you insane?! You could have us killed by that demon for badmouthing him. Haven't you heard the stories?"

He scoffed, "Those are just rumors. Do you really think two demons can cause a hundred thousand soldiers to go insane and kill each other?"

"We already have proof of that," another countered, looking into his drink. "I have personally seen one of those infected. Their injuries weren't done by demons. He had hand marks on his neck, finger scratches on his skin, even had one ear ripped like it was pulled. Demons love using magic; they would never lower themselves to such a level."

"So you say," the man rolled his eyes. "What makes you a demon expert?"

"I'm an adventurer, idiot," he sneered. "I've fought both lesser and greater demons before. The more human-like they are, the stronger they are. From what the rumors say, the demons were two young girls with no horns, wings, or even tails. The description remains consistent with every infected story."

"You seriously think two young girls did all of this? You're as delusional as those Purple Skin." The man laughed in reply to the adventurer's words.

The adventurer, now pissed, slammed his drink on the table, standing up and staring directly at the man. "You want to say that again?"

The man smirked, standing as well and staring down at the adventurer.

"Let's calm down, you two," one of the others at the table intervened, trying to hold the adventurer back before he could commit murder. After all, if an adventurer had experienced fighting demons, they must be strong enough to beat any average man.

The man sneered, seeing them holding the adventurer back. "So, you're all talk after all."

Hearing that, the adventurer drove the first punch into the man's face, sending him flying into the next table. In just a few seconds after that, the entire tavern erupted into chaos, people punching and kicking each other.

Misery, who had been silently listening from one of the chairs, sighed as she watched the chaos unfold. With a blink of an eye, she disappeared, returning home.

As she entered the halls of the castle, she could see Rain, who had probably finished her own investigation.

"What did you find out?" she asked.

"Probably the same as yours," Rain shrugged, walking past her and leaving the place to who knows where.

Misery entered further and found Guy Crimson, her master, massaging his temple with a frown on his face. He muttered to himself about "an idiot" and something about "causing problems." Misery chose to remain quiet, waiting until she was called.

"What did you find out?" Guy finally asked, his hand resting on his cheek as he slouched in the armchair of his throne.

"The Purple Skin disease is caused by the purple primordial, Violet, who has been gone for thousands of years. From what I've gathered, Jaune, the yellow primordial, is also back, and both of them are in the Forest of Jura." Misery bowed, stating the information she had gathered.

The information and descriptions of the two young-looking demons, both with purple and yellow hair, fit the characteristics perfectly. One loves destruction, and the other uses poisons. Undoubtedly, they were the ones behind it.

"Why did he bring them back?" Guy sighed, a loud groan escaping him. "Are Noir and Blanc here as well?"

Misery shook her head. "At the moment, it seems not. But we do not have enough information to deny the possibility. Shall I investigate the forest, Guy-sama?"

Guy thought for a moment. He could go himself to reprimand Rimuru, but he doubted Rimuru would even listen. "Go to the forest and ask Rimuru directly if he is bringing the other primordials back. Also, tell him to fix the mess he is making."

"Understood, Guy-sama." With an acknowledging bow, Misery walked out and made her way to the Forest of Jura.

....

Rimuru was smiling happily as he walked through the streets of Ingrassia. From what he had heard, the Council was currently holding an emergency meeting after the complete annihilation of their forces.

"Hello, everyone!" he said cheerfully as he pushed open the door to the meeting room. Behind him, Velgrynd and Ciel stood, their eyes cold and their presence like a chilling gust of wind, causing the atmosphere to freeze.

"Who?" The chancellor stood, confused and wary, as Rimuru confidently walked toward the center of the room.

With a bright, almost mocking smile on his face, Rimuru reveled in the situation. He exaggeratedly bowed his head to the assembly, thoroughly enjoying the discomfort it caused. His gaze caught Hinata's, and he noticed the way she looked at him, almost like he was an idiot, but there was an undeniable hint of amusement in her eyes.

"My name is Rimuru," he began, straightening up and fixing his posture. "You call me the Demon of the Forest."

Panic rippled through the room immediately after his introduction. Most of the representatives leaped to their feet in a flurry, some of them rushing toward the doors, yanking on the handles in a frantic attempt to escape. However, the doors were firmly sealed.

"Now you react," Rimuru chuckled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You didn't even recognize my face from the recording, huh?"

Then, as if to emphasize his point, Rimuru's aura flared, filling the room like a suffocating weight. The representatives froze, their attention snapping to him, every ounce of their panic now focused on him.

"Sit down."

The pressure in his voice was so intense that, despite their fear, the representatives stumbled backward into their seats, too terrified to even look up at him. They kept their eyes glued to their desks, avoiding his gaze at all costs.

"As a refresher, since apparently, you didn't even recognize me," Rimuru continued, clapping his hands loudly, forcing everyone's eyes to snap to him. "My warning was clear: no more invasions. Anyone who dares to cross me will never leave. I will make sure you disappear without a trace. Does anyone remember that?"

He surveyed their reactions, a small, satisfied smile curling at his lips as he observed their trembling forms. Everyone in the room was shaking in their seats, except for Hinata, who wore a neutral expression. Still, Rimuru could sense a faint glimmer of amusement in her gaze, as if she were enjoying watching the other representatives squirm.

"I have a list of the nations that were part of the army," Rimuru said, snapping his fingers. At his command, documents with the names of the nations appeared on the table, one for each representative. "Shall I destroy them all? You did march knowing my warning, didn't you?"

The representatives wanted to speak, to deny it, but their voices were choked, swallowed by fear. Not a single word escaped their lips, the terror of Rimuru's presence leaving them mute.

"Ah, right," Rimuru said, his voice suddenly shifting, lightening the atmosphere as he released the pressure that had been building. "Speak now. Every second you hesitate could cost your nation."

"I-it wasn't us!" one of the representatives stammered, his voice shaking.

"Please, spare us!" another begged, desperation evident in their eyes.

"It was Falmuth!" one cried.

"Yes! King Edmaris started this!" another echoed.

"Falmuth forced us!" a third shouted.

They began to shout over each other, all their accusations falling on the Falmuth nation. After all, King Edmaris was the supreme commander of the army, and it was his forces that had led the charge toward the forest. It wasn't difficult to believe that he was behind the majority of the invasion. Even if it wasn't entirely true, the representatives knew that together, they could twist the narrative to place the blame entirely on Falmuth.

"So, you're saying Falmuth is the only one to blame?" Rimuru asked, tilting his head in an almost eerie way. His smile remained fixed on his face, though his eyes grew sharper, colder.

"Yes!" the representatives said in unison.

"No one else!" one added.

"They forced us!" another cried.

Rimuru's eyes scanned the room, pausing on each representative, his gaze sharpening as he looked at their desperate faces.

"I'm not an idiot, you know?" His smile vanished in an instant, and his expression became deadly serious. The change in his demeanor was stark, and the tension in the room ratcheted up by a thousand.

The room fell into an unsettling silence. Not a single person dared to speak. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, their hearts pounding in their chests, nearly loud enough to hear. Every one of them felt the weight of Rimuru's words, his presence, pressing down on them.

"Are you really telling me that you had no part in this?" Rimuru's voice was soft, dangerously calm, but the underlying threat was palpable. His eyes bored into each of them, unblinking.

The silence stretched on. No one answered. The fear in the room was suffocating.

"I'll take that silence as a confession, then," Rimuru said, moving toward the Chancellor. He sat at the table and looked at everyone. "Let's talk about compensation for invading my territory, shall we?"

Ciel began handing each member a document outlining Rimuru's demands.

First and foremost, all the nations must openly declare to the public that they invaded the forest out of greed and recount what happened during the battle. Rimuru was more than happy to provide each of them with recordings of the horrors the two primordials had unleashed.

Second, there was a list of prisoners in the forest, which included nobility, children of nobility, and military officers from various nations. If the nations wanted them back, they must pay whatever ransom their respective governments deemed them worth.

If they did not pay the ransom, the nation would publicly admit that they were refusing to take responsibility for the prisoners' return.

Third, there would be no more invasions from this point forward. If this were ever repeated, there would be no more warnings or negotiations. The nation that took aggressive action would cease to exist within a day of its army stepping onto Rimuru's territory.

"And lastly," Rimuru jumped off the table and stood in the center of the room, "In exchange for me not retaliating for your invasion, I want the Kingdom of Falmuth, people and all, under my control."

Everyone gulped. The majority of them looked toward Hinata, silently hoping she would intervene and smite the demon standing before them.

Unfortunately for them, she remained passive and unmoving as Rimuru continued.

The Chancellor raised his hand, albeit fearfully. "I'm not sure we have the power to give you the Kingdom of Falmuth. We are, after all, a group of nations, not a single empire under one ruler."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Rimuru said with a smile, gesturing toward the Chancellor. "All I want you to do is claim that you sold Falmuth to me, so I won't march my army and destroy every single nation in the west."

"But to admit that..." The Chancellor trailed off, glancing at the representatives of the various nations. "I don't think it's possible to openly admit such a thing to the public."

Rimuru nodded. "I get that. If you sold a human kingdom to a demon, it would look bad for everyone involved."

Some slight relief began to form on their faces. The fact that Rimuru acknowledged their situation gave them a glimmer of hope.

"But that's not my problem." Rimuru's tone grew cold, his eyes sharp. "If you don't do it, I guess you can say goodbye to your life, your family, your people, and your nation."

His aura returned, suffocating the room.

Suddenly, the doors swung open, and many soldiers and knights rushed in, some of them wearing what appeared to be gas masks.

"The inquisitors...!" one of the representatives shouted.

Velgrynd frowned, seeing the sudden influx of people into the room.

"Hahaha, you demon, now-" A representative who had been about to mock Rimuru at the sight of reinforcements suddenly halted.

With a swift motion, Velgrynd snapped her fingers, and each of the soldiers began to explode. A bright flame ignited in their chests before they erupted in a chaos of blood and entrails, painting the room.

"Representative Duke Gosei of the Kingdom of Ballachia," Ciel said, staring directly at him. "You can say goodbye to your nation. It will be gone in two hours for your disrespect."

Duke Gosei, who had been feeling confident due to the arrival of the inquisitors, began to shiver in fear at what he had just heard. "No... no way..."

"Anyone else want to join him?" Rimuru asked, his gaze sweeping over the other members. Those near the door were now covered in crimson blood. Yet, the blood did not unnerve them, what did was the apathetic announcement of Ballachia's doom.

They were just one second away from making the same mistake. Never had they been so grateful for their inability to process the events quickly enough to speak.

Rimuru stretched his body and began walking toward the door, the blood and entrails seemingly parting to clear his path, as though they feared ruining his shoes.

"I better hear the public announcement within two days," he said with a chuckle. "If not, well... you'll see in two hours." He turned and walked out, Velgrynd and Ciel following behind him.

Two hours later, the Kingdom of Ballachia was scorched to the ground. Nothing remained, everything that had once lived there was burned to ash. Whether plants, animals, or humans, nothing was left but the charred remains of the kingdom.

And within a few hours after that, the nations of the west began to openly admit their greed in the invasion, showing the horrors their armies had experienced. Finally, Falmuth was officially declared a vassal state of the Demon of the Forest, Rimuru.

A/N: Too much? Maybe, but it just shows how detach Rimuru is to human life. He doesn't care as long as it is not his people.