Tensei Shitara Slime Datta

Chapter 97: Compensation and Future Relationships

Well, this and that happened, and now for some reason it suddenly became a banquet.

There is a large amount of various alcohols available. Well, maybe it's just various forms of diluted whiskey and other drinks, but there's a lot of ice prepared. We have no way of dispensing the necessary items for the celebration.

But, well, as expected, it was too much to ask for Japanese-style sake, but since I wanted it, a variety of drinks had been prepared.

As it turned out, the drink was rather popular among the Holy Knights.

In a half-drunk state, I hoped that the talk of a regular "tempest Martial Arts competition" would be forgotten, but it seemed that my expectations would not be fulfilled.

This chain of events will probably go on steadily.

So, the next day comes.

The discussion between Hinata's group and mine's group will finally be finished. Various discussions about the future relationship between Tempest and the Church are likely to take place.

As it will be, because we are the victim and the one who has received the highest level of damage. A light response with respect to the current situation is simply not possible for the sake of the face of the future and common sense.

However, a specific increase in the severity of the charges charged at the actual criminal sect known as the Blood Shadow was emphasized. It was of course different from the intentions the Church desired.

Because of the small thing known as management, responsibility for recent events does not completely fall from the responsibility of a particular party.

Although the Holy Knights would eventually have to pay some war damages for the failure of their conquest war this time around. Well, since the location of Tempest is too far from the territory they control, even if that territory were to be passed on to me, I wouldn't be able to use it that much.

Do not even think of mentioning the fact that this can only be solved with money.

To be honest, I see building friendly relations abroad as a priority over gold and everything else.

While thinking about such things, the meeting finally began in earnest.

The participants from Tempest will include Rigurdo, Benimaru and myself. In addition, we also have the Head Goblin who, for this purpose, is promoted to Minister status.

On the Church side are Hinata and her 5 Captains.

At first, I wanted both sides to acknowledge mutual recognition. Since this was my main goal from the start, getting additional compensation can be filed afterwards.

With that said, before we actually started the conference, both sides decided it would be beneficial to exchange general information. The information generally consists of the situation of each party, such as current export goods and so on.

After that, the main conference began.

While watching from a middle-of-the-road perspective, I witnessed every change in the balance of negotiations.

If there are misalignments or complications from either party, it would be best if they were corrected in the early stages of the negotiation.

After a few minutes, I started to piece together how the negotiations were going well.

Needless to say, from our side, the list of grievances began with the Church-sponsored invasion of the Kingdom of Pharmas.

The direction of negotiations changes depending on the attitude of the other party, but the attitude of each side remains unchanged.

As for the position of the Church, Hinata mentioned that there is a problem with the current demand from the perspective of the Church.

Basically, the recognition of the Monster State was something that went against the teachings of the Church. This is an important issue that can lead to distrust of believers.

If nothing is done, this problem can lead to the estrangement of believers. This results in a loss of Church influence, or at least a decrease in that influence.

This was apparently the reason why the extermination of the Country Monster was so necessary.

That is why, according to Hinata, the Church needs a fair reason and a cover story to deal with the situation.

Therefore, they chose to take advantage of the fact that the Kingdom of Farmas had publicly demonstrated their desire for profit. Giving the Kingdom the right level of claim to action, they attacked Tempest along with the Kingdom of Pharmas.

Yes... they have admitted that they are completely wrong here but .. the fact that they were manipulated into unexpected actions.

(Hinata)

"Fufufuf .. I don't think it's inevitable. We were completely defeated, so I doubt we will be able to progress if I don't give you a confession.

Besides…

I, the representative of the Church, believe in the only existence that protects the land and man.

Those who are converts in the Church find their salvation, and they cut off all faiths other than the Church.

There is a limit to the number of people I can save myself. I believe that only saving those who follow the teachings of the Church is true justice.

That's also what I'm thinking now .. but …

I think I was wrong.

I should have given my hand to those who have struggled to survive, live and be happy. As such, I guess my actions are by no means true justice.

I ... no, if we had helped others for the simple reason of helping them, perhaps we would not have become so overpowered by this sense of arrogance.

Because, if we are true believers, we must help all who are in need, not just those who follow our teachings. That is the blindness of our pride.

Even trying to achieve this with every ounce of our strength is probably the most we can do. ”

As if making a mental breakthrough, and as a result finding some level of fulfillment, Hinata's face showed a bright smile as she spoke.

For old Hinata, saving believers was only a logical choice. To abandon those who do not believe in the teaching of the Church.

He did not have the strength to save every last person who needed help, who looked up at the sky begging for a savior. It was a hope that he probably thought was something that could never be realized.

That was why he decided that those who followed the teachings of the Gods should be given priority to be saved.

His logical personality and calculations have cut the hearts of non-believers coldly.

While he remained true to his personal dogma, in his heart, he had only lied to himself until now.

In the end, the number of people he saved was quite limited. The lines he drew limited the life he could sustain. He can never be everywhere at once, but limiting the choice of who will be saved ultimately leads to wrong decision-making.

In the end, although it was impossible to save everyone, there were more lives that could be saved.

The line Hinata took before her was whether or not one was a believer. Not recognizing someone as righteous unless they are believers who forget the pain of not saving them.

That is why Hinata is very worried about the decline in the number of believers. If the number of believers was reduced, it was like saying the number of people he could protect was reduced.

Well, he was a bit stubborn at first. His way of thinking was also somewhat skewed, although I could understand the reason more or less. I am also from the same world as him.

Those who put all their trust in Gods, leaving their decisions to those who interpret say the teachings of Gods often end narrowly. Those who do not have the capacity to make decisions on their own will often make the wrong decisions, leading to a spiral of decay.

I was only treated like an enemy because of the current interpretation of Church doctrine. With that alone, I have no objection to their actions, even though religion in general is becoming suspicious.

If people are more flexible and try to look at other points of view, the amount of conflict will be severely reduced.

There is always another reason for conflict. Nature of man . Often wars end because of profits, authority, and the like. Leading them against each other until black and blue.

In the end, there are those who seek to enrich themselves for profit, whereas those who are devoutly religious will often be left to weep in defeat.

Yes, this is a fairly easy story to measure, I just need to be the one who doesn't cry in the end .. Or rather, I should say the one who tries not to miss.

In short I need to consider my own intentions.

Rather than complaining to others, if they used their heads, they would be able to find a better solution. Well, most people are tough enough in changing viewpoints to put themselves in a favorable position. This is almost second nature to human if thought of.

Well, it might just be an idea, but it's a good idea to not just blindly believe in your partner.

In that case, I think Hinata might be a bit too serious.

From now on I suggest he live more freely. Gain a decent life experience in addition to his narrow-minded upbringing.

After all, thanks to Hinata being so honest and admitting her own mistakes, the conversation could go smoothly.

There seems to be no objection from the Captains either.

Perhaps they had a strong belief in Hinata, so they would not voice any objections Hinata said.

Much of the discussion addressed both situations, as well as both sides' recognition that the conflict between the two sides now ended with the Church admitting their wrongdoing.

Now it comes to the point of compensating the discussion, but before that happens …

(Hinata)

"I'm sorry, but there are a few things I want to say in that regard. ”

With that, Hinata began to share her thoughts.

After listening to what he said, it seemed that his superior in the Church within the Holy Kingdom, Ruberius, was not involved with his attack.

It seems that the hierarchy of the Church, or at least the positions related to it, is rather complicated.

The Pope, the King of Sage, or whoever, there seems to be some individuals standing at the 'top' of the Chruch hierarchy.

However, the true person who ruled at the peak was the leader of the Holy Knight, Nicolas Cardinal.

The raging that had been unleashed this time, as well as the war of conquest had nothing to do with the Kingdom where the Church was located.

Therefore, in the end, the involvement of the Holy Kingdom of Ruberius was limited to Hinata only.

So, even if I demand some form of compensation, Hinata's confession ends my hopes of pursuing that direction.

From his point of view, it was because he held the post of personal chivalric head of the Pope that things became somewhat complicated.

To note, Personal Knights and Holy Knights were two completely different groups.

Taking action solely from the Pope's demands, the so-called "Personal Knights" never leave the area around the Pope without his orders.

Only the head of the Personal Knight, Hinata herself, was given permission to act freely to act and protect the growth of the Church. That basically included overseeing the growth of the Holy Knight branch.

It was because of his position that the Holy Kingdom was not completely related to the current events.

Although it was not said publicly, the responsibility of this incident was entirely the responsibility of Hinata. In order to prevent any wrongdoing to the Holy Kingdom, Hinata withdrew from her position as the Chief Personal Knight.

Not that this is the end of the story, either. Hinata had already been told by her teacher that she could have been banished at any time.

These teachers were known as the "Seven Celestial Saints" as if.

While there was no need to be overly suspicious about this matter, I bet that this first-rate sage was rather bold and powerful.

Since the Holy Kingdom of Ruberius had made thorough preparations to sever ties with Hinata if she failed or caused trouble with her current actions, it was impossible to hold them accountable again.

At least in this case, we should consider this a separate issue from the Western Church.

I think it is necessary to agree with the Western Church at this time.

Hah ... then what will be done with compensation?

As I mentioned earlier, I am not looking for money for this situation.

The goal is for the Church to acknowledge our existence, so after they give a confession, I would like to press for a non-aggression pact.

Well, my mind was troubled by a Holy Knight named Arnaud.

(Brongh)

“I don't really see a problem with this. If you or your people are truly evil, there is no reason for us to remain at this time. ”

With those words, he showed his agreement.

Unlike the Holy Knights, Arnaud's opinion was Vice-Captain, Holy Knight named Leonard.

(Leonard)

“However, there is still a problem. How should we deal with the teachings of the Church today? Especially when the whole authority of the Church depends on it … "

When he said this, his brows furrowed, conveying he was somewhat in disbelief.

With these two things, and Hinata's concerns conveyed, they seemed to be the same.

In the worst-case scenario, there is even the possibility of the dissolution of the Church.

An important issue is to protect the people during the current resolution of hostilities. I do not care what happens to the Church in all honesty, with which I will focus on protecting people first.

Unlike the rational pragmatic Hinata, Church believers will likely focus all their insults on the Church.

If the Church itself disappeared, the order of Holy Knights defending people from monsters would likely be scattered.

As if to break my thinking, the very troubled Leonard spoke for an advantage.

(Leonard)

“While so, the inhabitants of this country are certainly not 'bad creatures' as we thought before. Why not just let this information be announced?

In fact, even Goblins and Orcs, who made up the majority of the population, had figures that were very similar to humans. As for the Lizardmen, well, they were already considered to be half-humans. There was no need to think about the position of the Dragonewt class.

Even in the case of Onis, rather than being considered a low-class monster, there were many humans who even saw them within the ranks of the Gods and Gods of the land.

In short, there is no teaching that Demi-humans and Demigods are 'Evil' right? ”

In short, the monster is not a monster, and therefore not "Evil" as taught by Church doctrine. Basically what he said was to admit my entire population into Demi-human status, which allowed us to be treated the same as the Dwarves.

This may lead to, at least, mutual understanding.

This was similar to the points Arnaud mentioned earlier in the discussion, but he could not really direct his points home.

Basically, this is a compromise point that is entirely political in nature.

We decided to adopt this opinion and were then able to quickly negotiate examining every possible detail.

In this way, we managed to create a basic concept for compromise.

By the way, the Church Hierarchy accepts and recognizes the status of our current citizens. This was accompanied by us being told that the Holy Knights would form a regular culture in exchange for regular compensation.

Above all, as additional compensation, we were given their failed attempt. It was basically a set of experimental equipment that they were unable to complete.

As for Hinata's broken sword, we were also given that, and a few pieces of spirit armor were not completely destroyed. Analyzing them is pretty simple. In any case, I handed the duplicate sword to Hinata to replace her sword as she was currently almost helpless.

To note, the analysis of the Spirit Armor was actually a huge development. I also have the opportunity to analyze the Spirit Equipment that the Holy Knights use.

My current attributes are Darkness and Magic. Basically I won't be able to use equipment affiliated with Sacred attributes, but I think there is a possibility to modify it.

It seems that this is a Secret State class weapon, yet we are sitting here, it is fine to just analyze it. If I take this as compensation, I guess there is no problem with this.

With this country of ours, things will gradually grow more advanced and sophisticated. Not to mention, better armed.

After we received our 'compensation', we started chatting and I ended up collecting some ridiculous information.

I mean, for most others, this would only make sense, but this is the first time I've ever heard of it.

Basically, it was information about the Great Tenma war that occurred roughly every 500 years or so.

Starting with, the,

(Hinata)

"Yes .. Tempura, a bowl of white rice .. even sashimi .. Rimuru, you are, without a doubt, a fellow Japanese. There is no doubt in my mind about it.

But in order to reproduce the food of our world here, I must say that I am shocked and amazed. What you are saying is true, you have managed to reach the environment you want in just two years ….

If I hadn't seen all this with my own eyes, I would have never believed it in my entire life! ”

Hinata has started with this casual segment, but ….

(Rimuru)

“No, there's still a lot to do.

Logistics are still too slow, communication is still out of the question.

Since there is magic, casual life and food preservation is possible for now.

The worst part is the culture. There is still too little depth in our environment.

It will take time, but one day it will be done in the community.

My current goal is the major development of our highway network and its maintenance. I want to get the safe and secure parts to develop. At the moment we are working on it, and the form is getting more progressive.

After that I want to transfer the information. I gave up on wireless communication a while ago because I just had no knowledge of the matter.

However, even though the transmission was greatly improved through the incorporation of Magic Steel, so I plan on taking advantage of this for the short and medium term.

When magic steel connected between cities through space through the use of shadow steps, it was possible to communicate with them without using excessive amounts of magic.

What do you think? Comfortable right? ”

Yeah .. I was a little bit boasting.

In reality, not only between our cities, but a network that would connect even the villages was planned.

Bester has developed a long-range telecommunications technology that he calls Comm-Gems.

It's too magical if visual images are also conveyed during communication, so it's currently impossible to include every village. It's something to see in the future.

If the steel cable will be processed and eventually stretched, it is possible to handle it with human power only.

If the Shadow Step space was used instead, then this process could be done easily without any hindrance.

After that, we just have to wait for the development and refinement of the receiving point.

As expected, from someone living in the Information Age, the speed of transferring information took a special place in my desires.

Hinata was clearly amazed by my plan.

(Hinata)

"Uh ... um .. well .. uh, all is well …

Be careful not to go too far .. you will be attacked by an angel … "

Hinata said this in a relaxed tone.

Angel!? What the fuck? What about Angels?

Hinata seemed to realize my astonishment and continued.

(Hinata)

"Fuck? You don't know?

Every five hundred years, the gates of heaven would open, allowing the Angels to begin their invasion.

Based on the basics, they did not often attack human settlements, but overdeveloped cities were eventually destroyed.

Research shows that Angels hate civilization as being for them if you will.

The only one who managed to escape from their attack was the Dwarven Kingdom.

Their domain only had two entrances. Large-scale invasions were also unsuccessful as dragons inhabited the mountains.

Because of this, they have managed to defend themselves.

That's more or less the reason why civilization stagnated to a certain degree.

The only exception was the kingdom of Ingrasia. That is also the reason why the board is in the first place. This is to do research and try to reduce the damage from any invasion.

Every five hundred years, the Imperial Capital is redesigned based on how much damage was caused after the invasion. It's basically a try.

This is something that each country unanimously agrees to and something that all residents fully understand.

It was also because their research had not gone beyond that the destruction and destruction had been kept to a minimum.

Each country provides support and conducts their research in secret. Every discovery is generally kept secret and only the Kings of each country can take advantage of the latest technological developments.

If they spread the results to the people, the angels would definitely release their full anger at them.

The system is carefully defined and agreed upon. Only the discovery was determined not to cause the incident being released to the masses.

The purpose of the angels was to eliminate monsters as well.

I guess that's something you shouldn't ignore. ”

Is this something that everyone knows?

This is always the kind of feeling I get when I get an explanation like this .. Arg …

But what is it about angels? How I never heard of them ….

(Rimuru)

"Oi, do you know anything about this?"

Well, at least not everyone. When I questioned Rigurdo and the others present, they had absolutely no idea about this.

I don't know anything about the Angel invasion, but I do know that when the Angel comes to attack, it can only mean a war between the Demon King and the Angel.

Yes I wonder about the war that took place five hundred years ago. I wonder if it is a war between Demon Lords or a war against Humans.

No. When you think about it, if it was just a fight with a human, it would be a half joke if any form of truce was actually made or respected.

Although I never really thought deeply about it, now I am starting to get ideas based on everything I have told you. I guess that makes sense now.

Yet ... every five hundred years an Angel strikes yes ... and only the technologically advanced ones …

They don't move on humans, but what's with this hatred for civilization?

Is it just because they want to disturb humanity, or are they afraid of something?

Honestly, I can't make heads or tails of meaning behind their actions.

(Rimuru)

"Is that? Do they leave some countries alone? What happens if someone beats an angel? ”

The answer to my question is pretty clear.

That's a very bad idea. If you really want to make an enemy of a race higher than most monsters or demons, you can find out the rest yourself.

Indeed, the demons are quite troublesome, I might not want to go out and make another enemy.

As it stands, there is no need to do interference with an undeveloped human being. However, what are the limits to the technology that will be destroyed?

Do they hate the taste of others? Maybe the gunpowder isn't good then.

It seems that the Angels are individually close to the B rank of +, so they always come with a team of roughly .. 1,000,000 strong or more …

In addition, there was a Captain/Commander class leader who was stronger and organized the invasion.

It seemed like there were general level classes as well, but the fighting prowess of these individuals was unknown.

The Demon Lord's body might be stronger.

They are also under the attributes of the Saints, so a real attack or intervention from the Church might not be of any use.

Although, even if nothing was done, the helpless monsters would generally be massacred under the Angelic invasion.

However, they don't seem to be humanitarian allies either, even Hinata doesn't know much about them.

Well, that's presumed because no human today has seen an Angel for more than five hundred years. The only reason they are known is through historical footage and rumors.

Given that, there is a good reason why the Church considers monsters as enemies, and also why demons exist.

Among the monsters, there seemed to be an organization that was extremely hostile towards humans. There was even a Demon Lord in their midst who obviously hated humans as well. Yes of course …

Clayman was the representative of that faction, but he was dead by now.

With Clayman dead, no Demon Lords among the Eight-Star Demon Lords had any clear hostility towards the human race.

(Hinata)

"HUH?! Clayman is dead ?! ”

Oh, that surprised Hinata.

(Rimuru)

"Yes, he's dead. I killed him and destroyed his soul. ”

While I was looking for salty, greasy potato chips, I offered a carefree answer.

Ah, potato chips are the perfect snack. .

Rather than talking about that little fry, I would rather talk about the Angel that is coming. But it was clear that he was at odds about whether he should give up or not for that matter.

The small fry type .. what happened to him doesn't matter at all if I'm really honest. Well, that's what I thought, but ….

From what Hinata told me about him, Clayman always acted secretly and they could never get a clue about him.

However, his extreme enmity towards humanity was obvious, and if there was no examination of the internal balance between the Demon King, and the necessary approval of the other few Demon Lords, it was clear, he probably would have gone to war with them centuries ago.

Then I remember.

(Rimuru)

“Oh right, I just remembered that Clayman called his master the Demon King Kazaream or something natural. Ah, she probably has a relationship with Yuuki, so it's best to be careful.

The Holy Knights who had not heard of this were told so.

(Anon Holy Knight 1)

'uh? The leader of the Freedom Association might be Demon King Kazaream? "

(Anon Holy Knight 2)

"However ... we cannot just openly examine it about this .. If handled incorrectly, this could lead to an all-out war between the Church and the Freedom Association …"

(Rimuru)

"Well, Kazaream is alive and we assume he managed to manipulate Clayman …

That means the boss of the hostile demon is Kazaream. Even if he was not the de-facto leader, the chances of him monitoring them might be very high. ”

I said that while eating some potato chips.

But, in contrast to their serious facial expressions, their hands continued to carry new potato chips into their mouths.

These people ... Aren't you acting too familiar?

Heck, even Hinata reached out and bit into various items.

Wait, what's going on ?! Is this really a topic you can casually discuss?

Go on and on, but I ended up just muttering in a hurry, especially since it had nothing to do with me anymore.

(Rimuru)

"Allah . It's just a possibility. The best thing is that we don't act recklessly.

However, I admit that there are many people who are chasing after the children of “Lainworld”, so I do not want to tell them if I do not need to. ”

(Hinata)

“About that, I thought I might know a place. I'd like to go and check further, but do you mind if I do? "

(Rimuru)

"Eh? Uh ... Ah. . Do you need to ask carefully? Is there a professional informant in the Freedom Association? "

Hinata may have a similar idea.

I might be able to figure out what she was planning, and if that's what I was thinking, it's not a bad idea to entrust it to her.

Thinking of this, I hesitantly nodded in agreement.

Indeed, even though there was no real evidence, this was not something that could be left alone.

All of this will be determined by the information we collect. Hinata's eyes showed me that she also realized the importance of the situation and we nodded at each other.

Thus, our future relationship with the Church has been successfully laid out. We were able to complete a friendly meeting and spend time meaningfully.

I can even obtain some unexpected information, but it is better that I leave the 'it' person to check it out.

Hinata also stayed there for two or three days before she returned.

For the sake of emergency contact, allowing one party to directly contact the other, some people were left behind. However, watching over us was no longer their purpose here.

Since we've stopped all open hostility, it's best to build friendly connections in the future.

If possible, I want to maintain the relationship as it is.

Like this, a series of Conflicts with the Church, had officially reached a temporary settlement.