03x04 - (D) Everyone Has a Part to Play

[bunniefuu]

[RIMURU]
Before we throw our big party,

we have a few things
to take care of first.

Souei. Tell us the results
of your ecological survey.

Of course.
I sent out body doubles

all over the Great Forest
of Jura to investigate

and saw no causes for concern.

[RIMURU]
Sweet.

There was one thing.

♪

[roar]

[SOUEI] A sword grizzly
started causing havoc

in the northwest region
of the forest.

♪

So I eliminated it.

[RIMURU] I see. Well,
that's good news at least.

[RAPHAEL]
Notice. Like the knight spider,

the sword grizzly
is recommended

for adventurers
of rank A minus.

[RIMURU]
Wait, for real?

That's a rank
most ordinary adventurers

wouldn't be able to do
anything against!

-Indeed.
-That sounds bad.

We should probably avoid
sending the new recruits

to that area
for their own safety.

It's not a problem.

Perhaps you are going
too easy on them in training.

Regardless of the training,

that's a monster we can't
let our guard down around!

Why not?

Maybe all you need to do
is push them a bit harder.

-I have to agree.
-You monsters!

Well, we are Oni.

[Hakurou, Kurobei chuckle]

[RIMURU]
They have a point,

bulking up Gobta and his crew
would definitely help.

But these monsters
showing up is a real problem.

We have to ensure the safety
of our visitors.

So we need to come up with
some way to handle 'em.

In that case,
this could be a good chance

to test out our new
anti-magic barrier.

[RIMURU]
Anti-magic barrier?

We just finished the prototype.

It took a bit
to get it working,

but we made a fully
automatic magic generator!

-[Kaijin chuckles]
-[RIMURU] Wow!

[RIMURU]
I knew you guys were secretly

cooking up a new invention.

Could you explain what it does?

Yes, it's a ground-breaking
magical device

that automatically
maintains any spell

that's been entered into it.

[RIMURU] Oh, so it's kinda
like rune magic.

Right, but with drastically
higher efficiency and utility.

To be honest, we were pretty
much completely useless

during Falmuth's invasion
of Tempest,

and we just couldn't live
with that.

[RIMURU] It's pretty impressive
to have a working prototype

in such a short amount of time!

These old dudes are incredible!

Kurobei and I did our best
to help out

whenever we had free time
as well!

That's right!

I occasionally helped
consult with them, too.

[RIMURU]
Ooh nice!

So it's like one big hot pot
of Tempest's magic tech!

[VESTA]
As a nation of monsters,

Tempest has a much higher
than average concentration

of magicules present
in the air.

So I had been mulling
over ideas

for how we could use
that to benefit us.

[VESTA] This
fully automatic magic generator

is designed to function
by utilizing the magicules

drifting around
in the atmosphere

[RIMURU] Which we can use to
put up an anti-magic barrier?

Yes, but...

it's got other features
we think you'll like.

-[Kaijin chuckles]
-[RIMURU] I'm happy

as long as it keeps monsters
on the other side

of the barrier.

[RIMURU]
What else can this bad boy do?

[KAIJIN] [laughing] Your mind's
about to be blown, boss.

You see, this thing's got
a magicule-accumulating device

built right into it.

By using this generator,

we can greatly lower
the density of magicules

in the immediate area!

[RIMURU] Oh. This is literally
just the thing we need

to solve our monster
attack problem!

[VESTA] I'm glad to hear
you're happy, Lord Rimuru.

However, this device still has
flaws to be worked out.

If there aren't enough
magicules in the air,

it's too inefficient to be
useful and won't function.

But, with all the strong
monsters living here,

I doubt it'll be a problem.

[RIMURU]
If anything, it's perfect!

So this fully automatic
magic generator

gathers up magicules
from the atmosphere

to keep an anti-magic
barrier up at all times?

Yeah, that's more or less
how it functions.

But if there aren't
enough magicules,

the functions cease,

which is why I designed it to
accept an outside fuel source.

[RIMURU]
And that would be?

It's a crystal made from
absorbed magicules.

[KAIJIN]
In other words, a magicrystal.

[RIMURU]
Hmm.

[RIMURU]
I could see using magistones,

but isn't it really
inefficient to use

magicrystals as a fuel source?

[RAPHAEL]
Answer.

When a magicrystal
is converted to magic,

% of its magicules
go to waste.

Normally it would be,

but we've still got
that rune magic

you created for us, remember?

[RIMURU]
Oh, I getcha!

[VESTA] Thanks to that
minimizing the amount

of magic wasted,

% should be more
than enough for our purposes.

[KAIJIN] And it's not like
the wasted magicules

just disappear forever,
you know.

[RIMURU]
So we can reuse them then!

Wait, does this mean
a perpetual motion machine

could be a possibility?

With reduced magicule density,

we'll have fewer monsters
and spirit beasts popping up.

And the chances of anything
spawning that Gobta's crew

can't handle will be dropped
to pretty much zero!

You guys really knocked
this outta the park.

It's perfect for our little
nation of monsters!

[GABIRU]
Mm-hmm.

I'm glad you're happy
with the results, My Lord,

but we have one last thing
to show you.

[RIMURU]
Huh?!

Currently, this one is being
used as an anti-magic barrier.

[grunts]

Please, allow me.

As you can see this disc has
a magic engraving underneath,

and since it uses rune magic,

we're able to generate
all kinds of spells with it.

[all gasp]

[RIMURU] This thing's like
a magical record player!

I can't believe they made
something like this

based on the vague image
I gave them back then!

And if they're able to make
a smaller version,

it may be possible
to equip them one day!

Or they could make a bigger one
that could generate magic

on a large enough scale
to use in w*r!

[clears throat]

Now if I may, I have a proposal
for how we might best utilize

these new magic generators
of ours.

[VESTA] First, we can
install them at even intervals

while we construct the roads

to ensure there aren't
any holes in our coverage.

Then we can activate
the anti-magic barrier,

and as long as the magicule
density stays high,

we won't need to replace
or swap out their fuel.

All they'll require
is daily patrols

to ensure they're
operating normally.

[RIMURU] You've really
thought this through, huh?

These automatic magic
generators are amazing!

So do you have
the magic formula you need

to engrave these with already?

[chuckles]

Dord's putting on the finishing
touches as we speak.

And we've already
talked to Kurobei

about mass-producing
the generators,

so we were just waiting
on your approval.

That's right.

[RIMURU]
Ah, gotcha.

Well, if you've got the time,

could you supervise
everything, Vesta?

I have fewer classes
to teach at the moment.

It would be my pleasure,
Lord Rimuru.

[RIMURU] Great!
Then you can start tomorrow!

Consider it done.

These magic discs
are a bit heavy,

please allow me and my men
to help install them.

Thank you Geld,
I'd sincerely appreciate that.

-[Veldora laughs]
-[ALL] Huh?

So once you've all finished
putting in those boxes,

I don't have to hold back
my aura anymore, right?

♪

[RIMURU]
What are you, an idiot?

If you did that,
most of the country would die!

[chuckles]

But, Rimuru, I've been
restraining my aura

for what feels like
forever now,

and it's starting
to get tiring.

[RIMURU]
Just deal with it, bro.

[Veldora groans]

I'm getting so worn out though.

[VELDORA] What's
your secret, huh? Tell me!

[RIMURU] Secret? I just
shove it into my stomach,

easy-peasy!

Man, that takes me back,

I only started suckin' it in
after Rigurd told me

how it affected him
and the other goblins.

But I guess thinking
on it more now,

my unique skill Gluttony
evolved into Beelzebuth

which increased my stomach's
capacity exponentially!

Why you complainin'?

I thought this was nothing

for the likes of
the Great Storm Dragon!

[DIABLO]
Pardon me, Lord Rimuru.

-[RIMURU] Huh?
-But to completely

conceal one's aura,
as Lord Veldora does,

can be quite
a difficult endeavor.

At times, even Sir Benimaru
and the other Kijin

involuntarily leak
a small amount.

See? Thank you, Diablo,
I knew you'd understand me!

Because Lord Veldora
possesses a great deal

more magicules than most,

he must constantly endeavor
to suppress his aura.

[RIMURU]
Wait, is that true?

Yep! So I figured if I could
just release it somewhere,

then I wouldn't have to worry
about it anymore!

-[expl*si*n]
-[RIMURU] Knowing Veldora,

I feel like the release
he's talking about

would be more like
a massive freakin' expl*si*n!

Then a lot of dangerous
monsters might spawn.

Maybe even some that are
on the same level as Charybdis.

That would be a catastrophe.

Wait up. I'll give this
situation more thought.

Hang tight for a little bit.

[VELDORA] Very well! I can
hold out for a while longer,

but please try to hurry!

[RIMURU]
Sheesh. Right when I thought

we had our monster
issue sorted, an even louder,

more challenging
problem pops up.

-[SHUNA] Here.
-[RIMURU] Huh?

For you.

[RIMURU]
Just goes to show that life

never goes how you planned.

Or I guess I should say
"slife," huh?

[snoring]

[RIMURU] Okay! Now that
I've heard all the reports.

For you.

Huh? What is this?

[RIMURU] I want you to take
charge of constructing it.

It's the new capital for Milim
and the others

I've been sketching
in my free time.

I have faith you'll do
the best job you can

and make it incredible.

So how 'bout it,
think you're up to the task?

Oh. Lord Rimuru.

[RIMURU] Oops. Maybe that's
too much pressure on him.

[KAIJIN]
Mm.

You can leave it to us, boss!

I'll accompany Geld
and lend him a helping hand.

I'll bring Myrd along as well

so there's no need
to worry, Lord Rimuru,

we'll finish this project
exactly as you imagined.

[RIMURU]
Perfect.

With Kaijin involved,
the work will be even better.

It's easy to stress about
the fine details,

but just doing the thing helps
you not sweat the small stuff.

Geld, I know you can do this.

And if you run into
any trouble,

you can always come to me.

So try not to worry
too much, okay?

But, My Lord, with such
a monumental task,

failure would be unforgivable.

[RIMURU]
It'll be fine, man!

Even if you do end up failing,
you can always just try again!

At worst, the only thing
we'd be losing are materials.

So it's no biggie.

Yeah, that's right!

Nothing happened
when I messed up tha--

[RIMURU]
What was that?

Well, that's news to me.

Come to my office later
and you can debrief me, Gobta.

Hold on! Was this whole thing
just some trick to trap me?

[laughter]

Thank you for your wisdom,
Lord Rimuru.

I let fear cloud my judgments
over such a trivial matter.

[GELD]
So, please...

would you entrust
this task to me?

[RIMURU]
Sure! I'm counting on you.

[GELD]
Mm.

How come Geld
gets to do everything?

[RIMURU]
He's the right man for the job.

Plus, you have an important
job of your own.

-You mean cooking?
-[RIMURU] In your dreams!

[RIMURU]
Y-You're already doing a lot.

[chuckles] Why don't you leave
the cooking to someone else?

He's got a point, Shion.

[BENIMARU]
I mean, who else

is going to keep him safe
while I'm away?

-I will!
-[Rimuru sighs]

[RIMURU] I guess
that about does it for today.

[gasps]
Hey, wait, I almost forgot.

Diablo, please give us
an update on Falmuth.

Right.
Allow me to explain, My Lord.

I'll start with how Sir Youm
is doing.

[DIABLO] Bargaining with both
the royals and nobles

doesn't come naturally to him.

Which is why I've enlisted
the help of Edmaris

to educate him in such matters.

Youm's got it
pretty rough, huh?

If it were not
for his past transgressions,

one might even say Edmaris

could make for
a good potential ally.

[RIMURU] I'll take that
into consideration.

And as for his brother,
the new King Edward.

It would appear he's scheming
something behind the curtains.

[RIMURU]
Well, according to our intel,

it'll take them months
to rebuild

and mobilize their army, right?

[chuckles]

That's correct, but even so,

I've employed measures
to hurry things along.

[RIMURU] Wait. Are you sure
we'll be prepared by then?

[DIABLO]
It won't be a problem.

I've entrusted Sir Benimaru

with the task of rebuilding
our army.

That's right!
It's already complete!

Tempest now has a standing
military force

to defend itself,

and a branch
for covert operations.

In fact,
we had so many volunteers

it was hard to decide
who to pick.

[RIMURU]
F-For real?

This isn't a picnic, guys.

There is
but one more issue, My Lord,

though I think it
not a problem.

[RIMURU]
What's up?

[DIABLO] Reyheim has not yet
returned from his mission.

[RIMURU]
Oh, is that so?

You remembered to pass
along my message to him, right?

Do you think it didn't actually
make it to the Church?

Yes, My Lord.

[DIABLO] I gave Reyheim
the crystal ball as instructed,

then had my subordinates
escort him

to the capital of Engrassia.

Due to the surrounding barrier,

his escorts could not
enter the city.

But they were able
to confirm that

he was in fact allowed
through the gates.

[RIMURU]
Why Engrassia?

Engrassia
and the Holy Empire of Ruberios

are connected to each other

by a special magical corridor
known as a "Gate."

I instructed Reyheim
to use it for faster travel.

[RAPHAEL]
Notice.

A Gate is a magic circle
that enables

instantaneous transmission
between two points

via a special dimension.

[DIABLO] After his meeting,
I told him to report back

the moment he returned.

[RIMURU] And since we haven't
heard anything from him yet,

do you think they took him out
to make sure he kept quiet?

No, My Lord, I would know
immediately if his life ended.

With the effects of
my unique skill, Tempter,

if someone were to die
while under its effects,

their soul is forfeit unto me.

[RIMURU] Well, I'm glad
he's still alive, at least.

I was afraid they'd try
to silence him to make sure

we looked like the bad guys.

That does kinda suck, though.

It's hard to plan our next move

when we don't know the status
of Reyheim's mission.

My deepest apologies.

I would infiltrate
the Holy Empire were it safer.

[RIMURU]
No, you're all good!

We don't want them
to get the wrong idea.

Sending you in might
provoke Hinata,

and I wanna avoid that.

That woman is trouble.

[RIMURU] My message
to the Western Holy Church

was that I was willing to let
bygones be bygones.

I may have thrown in
a little bit of sass, too,

but that's just part
of the charm.

It would be ideal if they chose
to coexist with us

instead of turning hostile.

But I think Diablo's plan
is a really solid one.

It would be bad if the Church
decided to act against us.

[BENIMARU] Personally,
I say we settle things here

and now rather than
leave them to chance.

I still find it suspicious

Lord Rimuru
was attacked by Hinata

at the same time
Falmuth launched their as*ault.

Surely that wasn't
just a coincidence,

and there is someone
who orchestrated those events.

[SHUNA] From what you said
about Walpurgis,

Clayman mentioned something
about not working alone, right?

[RIMURU] Yeah,
there was another he mentioned.

In that case, we mustn't
rule out the possibility

that whoever he is
might act as well.

He poses a threat that
we can't afford to overlook

[RIMURU]
I agree.

If whoever he is
were to get involved,

then there's a chance
Hinata will act as well.

But something about this
doesn't make sense.

I can't shake this feeling
that I'm missing something.

♪

Hold on a sec.

What if Hinata attacked me
not only because she wanted to,

but because somebody else
ordered her to?

[all gasp]

How do you mean?

[RIMURU] Well,
now having said that out loud,

I can't really imagine Hinata

actually following
anyone's orders.

[all gasp]

From everything
I've heard about her,

she only acts on the will
of the God she worships,

and that God is Luminus.

[VELDORA] Hmm. The
God's name is Luminus, is it?

I've heard Hinata won't even
listen to the commands

of the cloistered emperor,
believe it or not.

[RIMURU]
Yeah, that tracks.

When I tried to explain
the situation with Shizu,

she wouldn't listen
to a word I said.

So she can only be controlled
by her God, huh?

Hold on. Does that mean
Luminus is behind all this?

[RIMURU] I'm not sure,
it's also possible

someone could have tricked her.

If she was coerced
into attacking you

and not forced,
it couldn't have been Luminus.

[RIMURU]
My thoughts exactly.

Whoever he is, he manipulated
the Kingdom of Falmuth,

had Demon Lord Clayman
working for him,

and tried to have
Tempest destroyed.

But despite all that,

he wasn't capable of getting
Hinata to do as he pleased.

[DIABLO] And that is the reason
why you believe

the Western Holy Church will
not act against our nation.

Is that correct, Lord Rimuru?

[RIMURU]
Yeah, it wouldn't make sense

I've made it super clear
that I don't want to have

a hostile relationship
with them.

And on top of that,

I seriously doubt Hinata is
dumb enough to attack Tempest

while me and Veldora
are around.

Hinata attacked me
because of Shizu,

but she also said our city
was in her way.

I figured it was just
because the Western Holy Church

has it out for monsters.

But maybe there's more
to it than that.

[RAPHAEL] Notice. The chance
that multiple motives

are in play has increased.

On the surface, it would appear
all these events are connected.

However, I surmise

that they were not the product
of a single will.

[RIMURU]
So you're saying...

Answer. All involved nations,
individuals, circumstances,

and other factors,

appear to have aligned
goals and interests,

but there are contradictions.

It would be unwise
to unify them all

as the will
of a single mastermind.

[RIMURU]
I see.

So it's more likely
to be multiple parties

rather than one entity.

When you put it that way,
it makes sense.

We were an obstacle
in Clayman's plans.

But he also tried to use us
at the same time.

I'm sure
he would've been thrilled

if Hinata and I had
destroyed each other.

I, along with Tempest,

was a thorn in the
Kingdom of Falmuth's side.

So they were probably hoping

she would eliminate me
for them.

As for Hinata,
she'd want to avenge Shizu

while also upholding
the Church's doctrine,

so there was no way
she'd ignore me.

That's where all three
of their motives align,

and where things
were set in motion.

But in the end,
I escaped from Hinata,

Falmuth was defeated,
and Clayman was k*lled.

Whoever this "he" is,

I bet you he's busy trying to
rebuild his forces right now.

Given his current situation,

would he really try
to fight me head-on?

[RAPHAEL]
Answer. It is unlikely

he will take that action.

Were his power on par
with that of Clayman,

he surely would have intervened
at an earlier stage.

[RIMURU]
In other words,

he won't come
after me directly.

There's no reason someone
who's been hiding all this time

would suddenly
try to make a move.

[RAPHAEL]
Notice. You must not forget,

there remains
a high possibility

that multiple people
are at work in the shadows.

[RIMURU]
That's a good point.

If there are other masterminds,

things could be
happening regardless

of if Hinata is on board
or not.

Mm.

With multiple interests
at play here,

we shouldn't assume that

Hinata cannot be manipulated
into action.

Is that what you're implying,
My Lord?

[RIMURU]
Right as usual, Diablo.

I'm starting to wonder
if maybe we were mistaken.

Mistaken how, My Lord?

[RIMURU]
It's like Diablo just said.

Multiple interests mean
multiple parties involved.

And because each of them likely
has a different end-goal,

they aren't on the same page.

-Oh, I see!
-As brilliant as ever, My Lord!

Then could it be possible that
the mastermind Clayman

mentioned is conspiring
with them?

[RIMURU]
I don't know about that,

but it'd be dangerous
to act on assumptions

when we have
such little information.

If it's true
that Hinata acted out

of some sense of obligation,
then things make more sense.

[KUROBEI]
Agreed.

[chuckles]

Then I believe
there's one more matter

that requires
further investigation.

I'm told it was merchants
who gave Edmaris

and the others
their information.

But given what we've uncovered,

that seems extremely dubious.

[RIMURU]
Hang on, you said merchants?

Is something the matter,
My Lord?

[RIMURU] When a nation
gets ready to go to w*r,

their spending pretty much
shoots through the roof.

So I'm thinking
that it's entirely possible

that those merchants
could be pulling the strings

behind the scenes
in order to turn a profit.

I see.

♪

Hmm.

Shuna.

[RIMURU]
Check the ledgers we recovered

from Clayman's castle
for the records

of all merchants
who visited there.

I'll take care of it.

[RIMURU] Diablo.
I want you to look into anyone

who's done business
with Falmuth.

It would be my pleasure,
My Liege.

[RIMURU] Benimaru, put
our reinforcements on standby.

Make sure they're ready
for anything, okay?

Yes. Leave it to me.

[RIMURU] Rigurd, we're
gonna throw a grand festival.

I'm leaving
all the preparations to you!

I won't fail you, Lord Rimuru!

[RIMURU]
Geld, do your best

on the projects
you've been assigned.

You got it!

[RIMURU] Hakurou,
you'll be Benimaru's aide.

Of course.

[RIMURU]
Gabiru, help Rigurd out.

-Sir!
-[RIMURU] Rigur,

go ahead and review
the city's security

so we'll be ready for all the
species that'll be visiting.

You can count on me.

As for you, Shion.

Let's see, uh.
Uh.

[whimpering]

Oh, yeah! You can escort me,
along with Ranga! 'Kay?

-Right!
-[RANGA] Thank you, Master!

[RANGA]
I shall protect you!

[RIMURU]
That was a close one.

And me?

That's right, Veldora.

[RIMURU] Your job is to
stay out of everyone's way.

Yes, my specialty!

[RIMURU]
Is it though?

Oh, and, Gobta.

[snores]

I know you might be sleepy,

but don't forget to stop
by my office, got it?

Huh!

[all laugh]

[RIMURU] And with that,
regardless of my ascension

to Demon Lord, our meeting
ended like they always do.

[door opens]

[HINATA]
Thank you for waiting.

It's time for us to begin.

[RAPHAEL] Next time.
"Meeting of Both Sides."