04x07 - The Mastermind's Identity

[bunniefuu]

This will be a breeze with
my Aim Assist skill.

Warp Shot!

How can this be?! Why hasn't
Prince Elrick's presence vanished?

I need one more shot.

No, it's useless.

Did I underestimate
that devil's master, then?

That, you did.

You're severely underestimating
Master Rimuru.

Tch!

You moron.

You failed the assassination,
and yet you stayed at the scene?

And who are you?

Soei.

I am Master Rimuru's devoted agent.

Just as I thought,
he's with that Demon Lord.

I'll make you spill
everything you know.

Feel free to resist if you want.

Very well… I'll take your offer
and do exactly that!

The portrait in the mirror asks

"Who am I truly?"
as they're refraining

Even looking from the opposite angle

I am tormented by
an endless loop with no exit

Ah, but then I meet people

Looking at the smile
reflected in their eyes

I will come to recognize something
more precious than myself

Even if they laugh,
saying it's a pipe dream

It's the future I want
to achieve and protect

Justice and pseudo-justice,
a conflicting world

But I still want to love it

We're alike

But we're not the same

We're alive

For the unyielding dream

[That Time I Got Reincarnated
as a Slime Season 4]

Very well… I'll take your offer
and do exactly that!

Physical attacks won't affect high-ranking
Majins like him. I expected that.

I'm sorry, but…

I can't afford to
mess up more than this!

Wow. He noticed the
magic imbued in the knife?

He swiftly identifies anything
that could hurt him and dodges it.

Talk about being highly effective.

When facing people like him…

Oh?

You're rather perceptive.

Heh. I'm flattered.

I could say the same to you!

Futile.

He took the bait!

Serves you right, you player!

All I did was sneak in
one magic b*llet.

It's the simple tricks that work best on
the high-and-mighty, c*ck types.

I see.

So you can imbue b*ll*ts
with magic, huh?

Oh? You know about b*ll*ts?

That one was a b*llet forged
by solidifying my magic.

For foes who felt nothing
from regular b*ll*ts,

this one sure packs a punch, ain't it?

I see.

Let's hear the rest of what you have
to say in front of Master Rimuru.

He's a gentle soul, so he'll spare
your life as long as you behave.

Excuses, excuses.

Too bad, though.

Now that you've seen my face, I've got
no choice but to finish you off…

This is the end for you.

As tough as he was, I can't believe
I ended up using all my trump cards…

Is that so?

If that's the case, just admit your
defeat and let me capture you.

Th-There's no way!

You dropped dead
just a moment ago!

Did you really think that
was enough to take me down?

I only took it on purpose
to see what you've got.

I ain't falling for your bluff!

What the…?

There are two? No!

There are four of him!

T-There's no way…

All of them…

…is real?!

This is no big deal.

I have a skill called Body Double.

Though inferior to the original,

you can take pride in having
defeated one of my clones.

All right.

I don't want to make
Master Rimuru wait any longer.

Shall we begin?

Dammit!

That sure was a long meeting.

There was a lot going on.

Tell me about it.

That Gaban guy's plan
was pretty crude,

but he clearly harbored
hostility toward me.

There's also the failed assassination
attempt on Prince Elric.

They were just pawns,

their real goal was probably to
frame me for the prince's m*rder

and drive Tempest out
of the Western nations.

So much has happened, but I'm glad that
Hinata and Shuna lost their temper first.

As a national representative, it would be
inappropriate for me to handle them.

I was not exactly losing
my temper.

I was merely teaching him
some manners.

So was I, Master Rimuru.

I simply gave that rude
fellow a little lesson.

Still, well done
for holding out, Benimaru.

Honestly, you were the one
I was most worried about.

Well…

Actually, my mind had gone
completely blank with anger.

Thanks to Shuna making the first move,
I managed to snap out of it.

Had it been a little later,
I would've burned everyone to a crisp.

What do you mean you would?

I'm joking, of course!

I ain't buyin' that!
You actually meant it! I could tell!

Good grief.

That was close. We almost stepped onto
the path of becoming humanity's enemy.

I must be very careful when selecting
candidates for the council from now on.

Master Rimuru.

Oh, you're back.

Sir.

I see.

So that's how it was.

Good job on catching the culprit.

You're reliable as ever, Soei.

Thank you.

That being said, she managed to
eliminate three of my clones.

I still have a long way to go.

In the end, she still refuses to
identify herself, huh?

Yes.

Although her true identity is unknown,
she did refer to you as…

…"that devil's master,"
which suggests she knows Diablo.

He reported nothing about that,
but that's just how he is.

He's the type who'd instill terror
in someone arbitrarily,

then claim that it was "a matter
too trivial" and forget about it.

Also, regarding the culprit's weapon…

Ah, right.

That was probably a weapon
from the other world.

Answer.

It is presumed that the sn*per
herself generated it using magic.

It is likely a power similar
to a Reality Weapon.

If that's the case…

She's likely from another world and
has materialized her own memories.

Right.

So she had a trickier skill
up her sleeve than I expected.

Hinata?

Since you'll find out eventually,
might as well tell you now.

The female assassin you
showed me through telepathy

is one of Rook Geniuses'
Three Battlesages.

Glenda the Raging Sea.

She was my subordinate.

Leader?!

Long time no see, Glenda.

W-Why…?

I'm glad to see you're doing well.

Guess this is the end for me.

Just k*ll me. That's the fate of
a captured spy, after all.

Shut up.

You are only to answer
the questions given to you.

It seems her spirit
had already been crushed…

Can I ask first?

Y-Yeah…

I had my suspicions.

Sometimes the Council's moves seemed to be
keeping an eye on the Western Holy Church.

I suspected there might be
a spy among us, but…

You've been betraying us from
the very beginning, haven't you?

No comment.

Regarding the person who pulls
the strings behind the scenes,

and ordered you
to assassinate Prince Elric…

Who is this?

No comment.

If you confess your master identity, I can
reduce your sentence by one degree.

What part of "no comment" is it
that you don't get?!

I see.

Then, one last question.

Did you believe in Lady Luminus?

God does not exist.

If I'm going to believe in something
like that, I'd rather make…

That's going too far, Hinata.
This is an interrogation.

Are you trying to k*ll her?

That wasn't my intention at all.

Liar. That attack was totally
filled with murderous intent!

Worry not, Master Rimuru.

Even if she were to die, we would not
lose our source of information.

Huh?

I will try to cast
a resurrection magic.

She's right.

I can perform Resurrection too,
so there was no problem.

That's not the issue here…

Anyway, I'll need you to
stay put and just watch.

As for the interrogation,
I'll take it from here.

Well, nice to meet you, Glenda.
I am Rimuru, the Demon Lord.

Hello.

Before I begin,
let me just say this.

It would be a waste of time to ask a pro
like you to just spill the tea.

So, you can just listen to
what I have to say.

At the very least,
don't let your poker face slip.

Heh.

You don't have to tell me that.

Miss Raphael, the floor is yours.

Roger.

Commencing interrogation
of the individual named Glenda.

We will begin.

Unique skills are usually
rooted deep in the soul.

And you are no exception,

yours seems to be strongly
bound to your soul.

Oh? That's news to me.

So, what about it?

During the daytime council meeting,

there were many councilors
whose souls had been tainted by desire.

That was likely instilled in them
by the unique skills of others.

Humans are greedy,
whoever that is.

You're right about that.

But their desires had been
on the same wavelength.

I believe someone's magic
was influencing them.

And Glenda, you, too,
are under that influence.

What did you say?!

But in your case, your soul is
protected by your unique skill.

Thanks to that, you haven't
been completely influenced.

Miss Raphael,
this is news to me too…

Let's continue.

Ah, okay.

In fact, during the Founding Ceremony,
some greedy people had snuck in.

When a spell affects
a large number of people,

the caster is likely to be nearby.

Simply put, your employer
was at the Founding Ceremony.

My analysis skills are unmatched.

Not only can I tell whether
someone has a skill or not,

but I can even sense
when they're trying to hide it.

She must have really not wanted me
to find out about her skills.

That's why she sent her
subordinates to cover her tracks.

Maribel Rozzo.

Does that name ring a bell?

D-Dunno…

Rozzo?

Right, so the Rozzo family is involved…

A clan with its lineage traces back
to the former hero Granville Rozzo,

who united the Western nations
and leader of the Seven Luminaries…

Granville might've died,
but his will lived on, it seems.

Maribel is your employer, isn't she?

I messed up…

I really messed up…

Gaban had such bad luck.
Even though he was so devoted to you…

Still, thanks to that, we were able
to drag the Inquisitors of Magic.

Isn't that alone a success?

You're right.

Grandfather seemed concerned,

so I tried to find out through
Gaban, whom I control…

But it's to no avail
against the Demon Lord…

It's beyond ridiculous.

And whatever it is with
the Demon Lord Rimuru.

Instead of getting Tempest framed…

…for assassination and driving
them out of the Western nations,

I've actually solidified their
standing within the Council.

I was naive.

I underestimated him…

Yohan, I want you to investigate the Demon
Lord's internal affairs from now on.

Me? Investigate him?

Don't you get it?

The reason I pitted you against Gaban…

…was to boost
the Demon Lord's trust in you.

And if I fail, I'll be taken out too…

Isn't joining forces with the Demon Lord
Rimuru really the best option?

Doesn't he desire coexistence
with humanity?

Why go out of our way
to make Tempest our enemy…

You're under a huge
misunderstanding.

Do you understand why I advised
Grandfather to eliminate the Demon Lord?

The reason is…

Because the Demon Lord is threatening us
by creating a new economic sphere?

Yes.

But that's just the cover story.

The real reason is…

Because we'd have no way
to fight the Demon Lord.

What do you mean by that?

The Demon Lord wields
a terrifying military force,

while also having that
Storm Dragon right by his side.

Imagine what would happen
if that very Demon Lord…

…were to initiate negotiations
backed by such military might.

However, the Demon Lord
must abide by the Council's rules…

Well, they are.
For now, that is.

Once the value of
Tempest is spread,

the Western nations will have
no choice but to comply…

And thus the Demon Lord's rule
will be established peacefully.

This is a ridicule.
A ridicule, I say.

Not only are we blinding ourselves
to such an obvious truth,

but we're also being led to believe
that Demon Lord and humanity are equals.

Talk all you want
about peace and harmony.

But those only exist because of
the Demon Lord's magnanimity!

Human life is short.

If we don't nip the Demon Lord's
ambitions in the bud now,

the Rosso clan's long-cherished
dream will be dashed.

Whether we're teaming with
the Demon Lord or using him…

Neither of those was ever
going to work to begin with.

Are you kidding me?!

I've practically spilled
everything out…

Serves you right, Glenda.

A fitting end for a traitor,
wouldn't you say?

Dammit, as things stand…

At this rate, I'm gonna get k*lled…

Is she really that cruel?

That's not the problem here.

Those of us summoned
from another world…

…are bound by a curse
that prevents us from defying.

The moment we're deemed
to have betrayed them,

our souls will be shattered.

So you're saying you didn't betray
Lady Luminus of your own volition,

but rather you have
a party you couldn't defy.

It's complicated when
it comes to that.

I did have the urge to cling
to God's mercy, but…

In the end,
there's no escaping the curse…

I just couldn't
convince myself that God…

would conveniently
come to my rescue.

Indeed, even God's
mercy can't help that.

Once someone's soul is shattered,
even Resurrection can't save them.

Miss Raphael, can you fix this?

Roger.

There's no problem.
Would you like to remove it?

Now that that's taken care of,
you can live however you want.

Are you giving me
your last mercy?

Nope. Nothing like that.

I've just removed the curse
that was binding you.

Huh?

I'm saying that you are free now.

Wha…

There's just nothing you can't do.

This goes without saying, but we won't
show you mercy if you oppose us.

That's not what
I'm concerned with…

All right, I'll let this
slide this time.

Again, not that!

Did you say you removed
the curse just now?

Are you serious?

I am. Relieving, isn't it?

I'm well aware that I'm asking a lot.

But I have a favor…

If you could, would you
please hire me?

Huh?!

I'll do whatever it is,
even the dirtiest jobs!

I know it'd be hard for you to trust me,
but I will swear my loyalty to you!

I beg of you, Demon Lord!

Hmm…

It'd be hard with your
previous occupation as a spy…

Of course, I'll reveal
everything I know.

About Granville,
whom you all think is dead…

That man…

…is still alive.

Huh?

Granville is still alive?!

Gran, the Sunday Priest
of the Seven Luminaries,

was merely the spiritual body's
inverse counterpart of Lord Granville.

The one who stands above
Maribel is Lord Granville.

While I may not know
what is on her mind,

I do know who
her most powerful pawn is.

The one who could pose
a threat to all of you.

The Grandmaster of the Free Union,

Yuuki Kagurazaka.

And he is…

…completely under
Maribel's control!

What keeps me alive

Is an endless longing

Once upon a time, life was
the light that nourished the vast earth

Then why do we fight?
The heavens must be fools

Will this chaotic justice
someday threaten my light as well?

The world's ideals
can never become one

Ah, defend, steal,
and win our way through

We'll just keep repeating it, won't we?

The life of the powerless is
counting down like an hourglass

Awaken your instinct to the angry voice,
follow where it leads

I am the apex, shaking the land

Be greedy, longing

Next time: The Gambit of Greed.