Inside the room.
"The master's been asleep a whole day—why hasn't he woken up?"
"Shalltear, quiet down."
"Okay, okay."
"…"
"Did my evolution succeed?"
At that moment strange murmurs drifted from the bed.
"Eh?"
Draco sat up groggily, rubbing his head.
"Ah, the master's awake!"
Shalltear pounced on him excitedly.
"How long was I out?"
"Three days, master."
"Three days, huh…"
Draco turned to Albedo. "Shuna and the others—are they all right?"
"Hmph~ Master, be honest—are you interested in Shuna? You always ask about her first~"
Albedo asked, jealousy dripping.
"…"
"It's concern for a subordinate—nothing more."
Draco shook his head helplessly. "Shalltear, climb off me; I'm going to check on them."
"Sure thing~"
Shalltear hopped aside obediently.
Before the mirror.
Draco saw no change in looks except his irises had turned gold; his Aura felt vastly different.
The sharp edge was gone, replaced by gentleness—an almost transcendent air.
"Becoming a Demon Lord should leak dominance—how did I end up refined and easy-going?"
Draco muttered.
Feeling odd, he shrugged it off—just got a bit handsomer, no big deal.
After a quick wash he headed to Nazarick's Administrative Building with the two women.
Though a small ruckus had broken out yesterday, everyone bounced back quickly.
Work proceeded in perfect order.
Most staff in the hall were High-ranking Demons who'd evolved after Draco named them.
Naming won their absolute loyalty, letting them handle vital affairs here.
Walking along, Draco sensed their Auras had grown noticeably stronger.
Yet their racial limits were low; combat wasn't their forte.
Only warrior-born clans like the Ogre Race gained huge combat boosts this evolution.
These staff had evolved toward auxiliary paths.
On the building's fifth floor, inside the vast office, Benimaru and the rest were already present, awaiting him.
Even little Kurumi was there.
They'd found her in a Ramen Shop at the time.
When the voice of the world sounded she ignored it and kept enjoying her noodles.
When the blessing hit she passed out, face-planting into the bowl.
Had Aura not found her in time she might have become the first person ever suffocated by Noodle Broth.
"Lord Draco!"
Everyone rose the instant he stepped in.
"Master, are you all right?!" Kurumi rushed over.
Draco waved to show he was fine.
"Mm!"
"You've all grown stronger."
"Congratulations, my lord, on your evolution into Demon Lord."
Congratulations rang out in chorus.
Draco nodded. "You've all worked hard."
"This evolution came suddenly; I'm sorry I couldn't inform you ahead of time."
"My lord, no need—we all heard the voice of the world and were prepared; there was no danger."
The Red-haired Uncle chuckled.
Kurumi: "Eh?!"
Draco inclined his head. "Good, as long as you're safe."
Seeing Kurumi's odd expression, her little face flushed, Draco glanced over.
"What's with this girl?"
Shuna burst out laughing. "She…"
"Nothing happened!!"
Kurumi exploded, pouncing on Shuna and covering her mouth. "Don't say it!"
"Mmph mmph…"
But the tiny girl couldn't gag the whole room.
Everyone rattled off the story in a hubbub.
Draco's face turned dark as a pot.
"Agh! You're all horrible!"
With that, Kurumi covered her face and fled the embarrassing scene.
Laughter erupted behind her; the crowd was delighted.
Draco felt a bit worried.
If that girl went out alone she'd definitely get into trouble.
"Ahem."
He coughed to shift topics. "Since everything's settled, let's get back to work."
"The Founding Festival is in three or four days—thanks for your hard work."
"Serving you is our honor, my lord."
The crowd answered in unison and then dispersed to their tasks.
Draco strolled through the city with Albedo and Shalltear.
The Founding Festival was vital; he couldn't slack off any longer—many things required his personal say-so… Meanwhile, at the Brumute Kingdom's Freedom Association branch.
Inside Fiz's office, Eren and company were vividly recounting their mission.
They rattled on about the town built by Slimes, Miss Shizu's passing, the birth of the Pig-Headed Emperor—so much that Fiz kept frowning.
The sheer amount of info was staggering.
A full two hours passed before the trio finished reporting their findings.
After listening Fiz fell silent; after a long while he looked up gravely.
"A town built by Slimes I can accept—after all, nations founded in forests aren't unheard of."
"As for Miss Shizu… she'd told me before. Sigh, another old friend gone…"
He paused, then continued, "What I need to know is—does the Pig-Headed Emperor really command an army of two hundred thousand?"
"Absolutely true!"
All three nodded in confirmation.
After leaving Rimuru's village they'd investigated the surrounding area; upon learning of the Pig-Headed Emperor they'd hurried back to report.
Fiz drew a deep breath.
"Two hundred thousand troops… this is going to be troublesome."
Brumute bordered the Jura Great Forest and had long suffered monster incursions.
A small nation of barely a million souls, it struggled to survive and had no troops to spare for monster suppression.
They could only rely on Freedom Association adventurers.
Monsters had been appearing frequently; the kingdom had issued numerous quests, and Fiz's branch was already stretched thin.
Now a Hoghead Army had suddenly surfaced—one misstep and the country could fall.
Such was the sorrow of a small kingdom with a million citizens.
Fiz decided to report up the chain and let the higher-ups worry; he himself had no way to handle it.
As he brooded, the shadow beneath Eren began to writhe.
A figure suddenly lunged out from the shadows.
"Who's there?!"
Kurumi was exactly like that.
-------------------------------
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