A General's End
The Humanity Declaration was, by design, a pact that nearly all the major countries signed when the true horror of the Domain came into view. Written by Maria Euphoria, it was recommended that every country sign it, as one of the benefits to being a part of the declaration included protection from war by other foreign powers. Hence, one of the reasons why Jeanne was even here in the first place. That being said, it always baffled her why Elfrieden never signed it.
"I was honestly shocked that King Albert never signed the Declaration." Jeanne began. "It would have been able to protect him from this mess."
In truth, Jeanne knew why, but she was teetering around the issue to save him some face. She immediately gave a wry smile when Liscia said what she footed around. "Father was too indecisive to sign."
Her words were met with a slightly exasperated look from Jeanne, and Liscia just shrugged at them. However, it was true. King Albert, while he was looked at quite favorably, was simply not a king with ambition. Nor was he particularly competent in that region. This made him simply not as effective during a time of duress and war, which is one of the reasons why Elfrieden was incredibly stressed during the attack of the domain.
To be fair to him, the domain wasn't something that most people would account for when leading a country. However, when the real threat of Amidonia was constantly pressuring them, he was always hesitant to mount an attack, or do any real recourse of action.
In any case, now that Souma was at the helm, thing took a turn for the better. As for the Humanity Declaration, he said to Jeanne, "I didn't sign it because there is a major flaw."
By this point, Jeanne felt that she had run out of surprise for the day, even despite the fact that the main thing she was here for supposedly had a major flaw of it. When she asked what it was, the response she got was less than satisfactory.
"Forgive me," Souma began, "but I can't say just yet. It's integral to my plans. I'm sure you will find out soon enough."
Suffice to say, Jeanne wasn't happy with such a vague answer. Even if his plans for his country were technically none of her business, the fact of the matter was that the fragile peace amongst the world was really only able to be achieved with that Declaration. If there was a flaw, she wanted to know immediately so it could be rectified.
Unfortunately, even after a staredown with him, it was clear that he wasn't going to budge. Which made what he said next even more jarring to her. "That being said, I want to forge an alliance with the Empire."
Apparently, Jeanne wasn't the only one who thought that this was more than a bit strange. Liscia looked at him like he just suggested jumping off a high cliff. Hakuya raised a brow at this suggestion, and both Rimuru and Testa were looking like they were considering this suggestion. The only two who looked completely neutral were Hinata and Aisha. Hinata, because she largely didn't care, and Aisha, because, well, she's Aisha. For the most part, politics flew completely over her head, and when they were in these types of meetings, she would only look for people trying to harm Souma.
"Sire," Hakuya began, "I really hope you understand the implications of an alliance with what are now the two most powerful nations in the world."
Jeanne's response complimented him. "I agree. While I'm certainly not against the idea, the current landscape just won't permit it. For one, we just came over to facilitate the return of Van. If we forge an alliance, that would show the nations in between ours that we may try and invade them."
"We'd also have to worry about the church." Testa added. "Their people aren't just limited to their citizens. If the Orthodox State feels threatened, they can use their influence to cause unrest in other countries through their believers without technically being able to tie it back to them."
Souma gave a look at her as if asking, 'are you serious?' while Jeanne simply nodded her head. "That's the major problem with a nation state like theirs. If any problems occur in other countries because of their believers, they can easily just lay the blame on some higher power. And unless we want to face a lot of backlash, there's simply not much we can do about it."
Souma gave a weak "Oh." before continuing his idea. "Well, that's nice to know. But I was considering something more along the lines of a secretive alliance. I figured that other countries would have a problem with us having a formal alliance, but I didn't even think about the reach of the church… anyways. The reason why is to share information, especially about the domain."
"That… might work." Jeanne said after thinking about it. "Being able to exchange information would be a huge boon for us. Still, how would this work? Especially in secrecy?"
Her questions were quickly answered when she was presented with a small broadcasting jewel that can act as both a receiver and transmitter. It was something that, while was valuable, was only gathering dust in Amidonia. Jeanne had no qualms about the gift, and so happily accepted the jewel.
After that exchange, the meeting lasted well into the evening, where eventually it had to end, partly due to losing the light of the sun, but mainly because many of the ministers were incredibly tired after working for almost twelve hours.
After the meeting ended, a few people were still congregated. These people being Jeanne, Liscia, and Souma. They were currently on one of the many balconies of the castle, enjoying some hot cocoa, courtesy of Rimuru. For Souma, this was just like home, and Liscia just wrote it off as one of his many quirks. But for Jeanne, she was beyond stupefied as to how he got his hands on cocoa beans. Spices were still immensely rare, but the royalty could easily afford such luxuries. However, having them delivered during an occupation was… bold, to say the least.
Of course, he didn't actually have them delivered. In fact, it was a mixture that he simply transported from Tempest, but none of them needed to know that.
"Is it still too late to ask for Rimuru to come join our nation? Just this hot cocoa would be enough." Jeanne said, savoring every little sip she had. She only had a twelve ounce cup of the stuff, so she was determined to make it last. After all, who knows how long it would be until she was able to taste more of that delectable goodness.
Liscia quickly responded. "And give up this? No thank you. Besides, you can get this in the Empire!"
"But not made this way! This amazing sweetness can only be obtained through sugar, and we don't know the proper mixture!"
"Just figure it out! He said that all it takes is milk, cocoa powder, and sugar! Not that hard!"
Before things could get too out of hand, and partly because he still wanted to enjoy the drink, Souma intervened. "She is right. Though, with sugar, comes a lot of calories. In all seriousness though, even if you somehow got Rimuru to go to the Empire, it's incredibly hard to make him do anything. Even though I'm technically his superior, it feels as though I have no authority over him."
Cutely tilting her head, Jeanne asked, "Is that because you both are from the same world?"
He gave a slight chuckle at that. "Something along those lines…"
Clearing her throat, Jeanne continued, "Anyways, if we are being serious, then I do have something else to share with you."
Now having their full attention, she continued, "We believe that we have identified the true leader of the demons. In other words, the demon lord."
Though she couldn't see it, both Souma and Liscia felt their hearts jump in their chest for a second. Not for Rimuru's or Testa's safety, necessarily, but for theirs. They didn't want to deal with an inquisition headed their way, and god only knows what they would do.
Bringing them out of their thoughts, Jeanne said, "The demon lord's name is Diavolli. Unfortunately, we can't put that name to a face."
When she said the demon lord's name, Liscia noticed that Souma had what looked to be recognition. Following her instinct, she asked, "Do you know that name, Souma?"
"Well, I can't say I'm super familiar with it, but back in my old world, that was the name of an artificial intelligence program created by humans."
When both of them questioned what exactly qualified as artificial intelligence, Souma gave them a very rundown definition of what it was. Thankfully, artificial intelligence back in his world didn't have the ability to reason, so he said that they had nothing to worry about. Besides, they were centuries off from that level of technology.
"It's definitely just a coincidence." Souma said. "Still… Demon Lord Diavolli… I'll definitely remember the name."
—
The impromptu meeting ended without too much else of note being talked about, and as the night had started long ago, the three decided to get some sleep. Souma briefly entertained the thought of sleeping in, if nothing else but to piss of Julius, but he wanted this whole thing to be over just as much as everyone else.
And so, soon after he woke up, he got ready and headed to the throne room. Surprisingly, everyone who was present at the meeting was already there, save for Jeanne, leaving just him and Liscia walking in as if they were late to class.
He perhaps wouldn't have minded all that much, but Rimuru was giving him a knowing smile. Which almost always meant that he would be dealing with a healthy amount of teasing from him.
Sighing, he thought, At least the tension is reduced.
Sitting down in the Amidonian throne for what would thankfully be the last time, they only had to wait just a couple minutes before Jeanne came in with Julius.
The very first thing that he noted about Julius was just how proud he looked. Not only that, but pompous, as if he, by his own power, took back the capital. There was a smirk on his face that seemed stuck on there, along with his eyes that simultaneously looked both condescending and hateful, despite looking up at Souma.
After saying their introductions, some more terse than others, they officially got started. And in an almost comical fashion, Julius's entire demeanor got wiped away when Jeanne began reciting the conditions of Van's return.
Clearing her throat, she opened up one of the few pieces of parchment she had on her and said, "In accordance to our agreements, Amidonia will agree to pay two years worth of their national budget over the course of the next ten years as reparations in monthly stipends."
As one would expect, Julius was not smitten with that. "Why should I have to pay any sort of reparations?! And two years worth over such a short time?!"
In all fairness, his outburst was justified. It was like the time when Diablo demanded ten thousand stellars from Falmuth. Having to give up twenty percent of a country's GDP would make things incredibly difficult for any country. Doing so every year over the course of ten years is frankly nothing short of economic suicide. At that point, rebuilding would be a herculean effort, and with someone like Julius at the helm, impossible.
Even still, Jeanne had no sympathy. "It's because you started this war and lost."
Through his teeth, he said, "The war was started by my father…"
"And you did nothing to stop it." She retorted.
"Even still-"
Shutting down whatever he had to say, Jeanne sternly said, "Julius. You took advantage of a loophole in the Humanity Declaration, deeply saddening my sister. If you refuse to agree to these terms, then not only will we immediately withdraw, your country will be kicked out of the agreement."
While he was still furious, that last sentence from her immediately made his stomach drop. If Amidonia was struck from the Humanity Declaration, that would essentially mean that they were free pickings for their neighboring countries. What made things even worse was that, while Amidonia struggles with food, they have plenty of mines rich with ore veins, meaning that if a nation like Zem conquered them, their people would most likely be turned into slaves.
Fortunately, Julius had enough sense to know the ramifications of losing their position in the Humanity Declaration, so he clenched his fists together and looked down while practically whispering, "I understand. I'll agree to those conditions."
"Very well." Jean said. "In addition, should the Principality miss either two monthly payments in a row or miss four monthly payments altogether, the Empire will allow the country of Elfrieden to invade Amidonia again. And as collateral, Elfrieden will take Amidonia's Broadcasting Jewel."
"Our Broadcasting Jewel too… Wait! You're just going to use that to brainwash my people!"
Under Julius's rage fueled gaze and finger pointing, Souma calmly said, "You can just turn off your receivers if you don't want to get anything from us."
Fearing that if he still attempted any sort of resistance, the Empire would be on him, Julius then said, "... I suppose I can accept those conditions as well."
It was quite fortunate for Souma that Julius did not truly understand the value that the Broadcasting Jewel could have, otherwise there was no way in hell he would give it away. In fact, if he truly knew, he would even make the gambit of letting Van be kept in Elfrieden's control in exchange for keeping the Jewel. Though the chance that someone like Hakuya, Rimuru, or Testa would see through a plan like that was quite high, so it was unlikely it would work.
In any case, with the conditions of Van being settled, the meeting was quickly dispersed. With Jeanne expressing her pleasantries and goodbyes after Julius left, all that was left to do was simply go back home.
"The people here look almost sad to see us go." Rimuru noted.
"Can you blame them?" Souma responded. "They just had their first and probably last taste of freedom. They probably know that Julius isn't going to tolerate this, or anything we permitted, and probably use the same justification that the kingdom is the enemy."
This was largely true for the people who understood what it meant being back under the rule of Julius. It was clearly written on their faces that, with the kingdom departing, so too did their freedom. Yes, they were largely content before under Gaius's reign, but that was mainly because they didn't know any better. Now that they understood what it was like to not go hungry, to express yourself, to freely voice your opinion, and to not be feuled with hatred, going back to such a life was like going back to hell. And worst of all, they had no choice in the matter.
—
Shortly after the army departed, another party recently heard the news. This was unfortunately unavoidable, but still stung nonetheless.
A young girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen, was sitting in a room overlooking the city through a window. However, despite looking at the view, nothing even remotely resembled joy. Instead, the only look she had on was melancholy. Or perhaps it was sadness that could be viewed in her eyes. Another man next to her, wearing a nice suit and looking simultaneously aged yet full of vigor, held a neutral expression in contrast to her sadness. This was not out of callousness, however, but rather because it was his job, or duty, to serve this young woman. And right now, more than ever, she needed a rock.
Raising her head from the table, she asked, "How bad'ya think this'll be, Sebas?"
"I unfortunately can't say, Princess." came the response. "A revolution is almost certain to happen in that city, but whether it will work or not is completely questionable. In addition, the rest of the country will also surely be missing those daily broadcasts showcasing the flourishment of Van. Rebellions are sure to crop up, but I honestly shudder to imagine the full extent."
"I must've been foolish to underestimate that Souma. I didn't even think I was, but that deal's plain extortion, no matter how you put it."
Naturally, Roroa had spies, people loyal enough to her, to report back what was going on in the capital. However, it may not have even been necessary, hearing how loud Julius was screaming about the deal. According to her informant, he didn't even need to enter the building he was staying in to clearly hear him.
Of course, when she heard the news, she asked him if he heard things correctly. Not only did they get shafted by having to pay a fifth of their national budget every year, but they also lost the Jewel. Roroa, being one of the few people who truly understood what Souma did, also understood what losing it meant. Yes, the receivers could be turned off, but would those regions in Van truly do so? Especially with such little in the ways of entertainment? Yes, they'd be risking their lives, but seeing what could be is incredibly intoxicating. What life could be under the rule of Elfrieden.
Under the rule of Souma.
Suddenly looking at her butler directly in the eyes, she said, "This has to work. This plan has to work. If it doesn't… if it doesn't, it truly means the end of Amidonia. There's just no way back from this deal."
Her eyes were full of resolve, and there was a fair amount of desperation and fear mixed in. While she was young, Roroa was far from stupid. And due to her knowledge of finance, she understood just how detrimental such a deal was.
Faced with such a gaze, he merely did what he needed to at that moment, which was to assure her. Truth be told, he had no idea if this plan would work. It was daring, and if things were to go wrong, the consequences would be cataclysmic for their people. But, the alternative of doing nothing was worse.
—
Shortly after the Elfrieden army got back from Van, certain prisoner was busy contemplating a meeting with his friend and former ally. George Carmine was patiently sitting in his cell, ruminating over how he handled his impromptu meeting with Castor. Sure, it was not planned, and he certainly didn't think that he would ever meet him again, but he still felt that they left on a bit of a sour note.
I wonder if I handled that okay…
Shaking his head, he decided it was best not to worry about it. Though snippets of the conversation, or perhaps confrontation might be a better word, were still circulating through his mind.
Castor, for his part, was very much ruminating over their encounter. For one, there had to be a hell of a lot of strings pulled in order to even meet, as Souma didn't want the idea of collusion being spread between themselves and George. Thanks to his rather defining features, he couldn't exactly sneak through without being found out, but thanks to a 'convenient' time of day where the guard shift around the castle was practically nonexistent, Castor was able to get in and out without raising any suspicion.
Once he got to George's cell, all the preparation that he had made, the conversations that he had run through his head countless times over, almost to the point of it being second nature, wound up being completely useless when he saw George, along with the casual greeting he gave.
"Oh, Castor. This is a bit… surprising."
George wasn't lying with his greeting. Surprised, and also realized how dangerous Castor being here meant. The only reason more people haven't put two and two together about George's surprising defeat was that the truth of the matter was only known to a group of corrupt nobles, most of whom were already hung, and his close subordinates, who would never betray him. To him, this meant that if Castor found out, someone told him. However, knowing Castor, he understood that if he got in his face to try and make him understand the danger he posed by being here, Castor would just double down and it would devolve into a shouting match.
Castor had to take a second to readjust. Once he did, his face contorted with anger as he said, "Surprising…? Don't give me that-!"
Taking a deep breath to stop himself from more yelling, as attracting anymore attention to himself was the last thing he wanted to do, he grabbed the bars on George's cell and said through clenched teeth, "Don't give me that shit! You didn't think to inform me about this little plan of yours?! I could have helped, no. We could have done something! Something that didn't result in your death! At the very least, not having you being branded a traitor!"
Contrasting Castor's emotional state, George was eerily calm. All he was doing was simply sitting down, letting Castor vent his frustration, and in his mind, he was perfectly justified. However, despite that, he continued to stay seated in the chair in his cell.
Castor wasn't too fond of that. "Answer me, goddamnit!"
After a few more tense moments, Castor felt the tension leaving his shoulders, causing them to drop. Now, with a much more calm complexion, he let go of the bars of the cell, turned to his side, and said, "As a warrior, I understand why you did what you did. But as a friend, I can't help but ask why you didn't tell me." Now looking back at George, he asked, "So, please, George. Why didn't you tell me?"
Seeing Castor like this, George understood that Castor would need an answer, or he would be here all day until he got one. Sighing, he got up and said, "You know exactly why, Castor. A plan of this scale to root out all the corruption in this country needed to be secretive. The less people who knew, the better." Sighing again, he said, "I did want to tell you. I really did. But knowing you, you'd do everything in your power to try and stop me."
Grabbing his forehead, Castor said, "You're probably right about that. It's just… we shared a battlefield. I can't count the number of times we fought side by side."
"I know." George replied. "And for that, I trust you with my life. However, this plan revolved around my death. I didn't even trust Excel with that."
Eliciting a rare chuckle from the dragonewt, he said, "That woman would have probably beaten you half to death if she found out."
George let out a smile at that retort.
A few more moments of silence engulfed them, and finally, George asked, "Have you met Souma?"
"He's a good king." Castor replied. "In fact, he was the one who was able to have us meet. I just hope that he'll take pity on Carla."
"Well," George said, "if he's understanding enough to let us meet under these circumstances, then perhaps he'll let both you and Carla live."
"I only care about Carla." Castor replied. "Even if she followed me out of stubbornness, I don't want to see her die because of my mistake."
A tinge of sadness could be seen of George's face, but Castor either paid no attention to it, or just didn't notice it.
It was no surprise that he didn't notice either. Castor's mind was still racing a million miles an hour, wondering what to say to George. He just couldn't find the right words to say. And unfortunately, George had other plans.
"-tor."
The man was currently engulfed in things he wanted to say, seeing as this was quite possibly their last possible meeting. Still, George eventually brought him back to reality.
"Castor."
He snapped back to their conversation, only to hear George say, "You should go now. The guards check on me every thirty minutes or so, and it would be a problem if they saw you here."
Castor struggled to accept those words, but nonetheless swallowed any words he wanted to say in favor of a slow nod. Steeling himself, he turned around and, what would be for the last time, said goodbye to his friend with a bitter taste left in his mouth.
George solemnly watched and, after Castor was well out of eyesight and earshot, closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. While George was certainly able to put on a calm exterior, there were certainly still times where it was troubling to accept what he was leaving behind. All he could do now was hope that Souma would take the time out of his day to meet him. If anything, he would like to know what kind of man was taking over the country.
—
A few short days after George and Castor's conversation, Souma and Rimuru were making their way to George's castle. Naturally, Souma wanted to meet with George just as much as George wanted to meet with him. Rimuru only tagged along because, well, he respected the man. He highly doubted that George had any of the answers that both he and Souma were looking for, but that was not on the forefront of his mind right now.
Instead, the main thing on his mind right now was what kind of food he wanted to eat after they were done in George's castle.
It certainly wasn't because he was bored or anything, but to him, this was already a matter of conclusion, which made his reaction that much different than Souma's, who looked like he had steeled himself for battle.
"Jeez, kid. Ever heard of relaxing?"
"Rimuru, this isn't the time for your little quips. And I thought I told you to stop calling me kid."
"Well, yeah, but you look like you're ready to face down someone like Gaius. We already know what kind of person George is, so there's no need for that serious face of yours."
Catching Rimuru off guard, Souma quickly snapped back, "And how the hell would you feel about having to kill an ally?!"
Hearing his own voice brought him down a few pegs. "I'm sorry. It's just… I'm angry. Not at you, obviously, but at this whole fiasco. I mean, surely there was a better way to handle the corruption in this country. And to do so at the cost of someone who was so stalwart. It just grates on me."
"I understand that." Rimuru said. "But, as I'm sure you know, that doesn't change the outcome of this situation. Right now, we're here for answers, and nothing more."
Souma just uttered out a grunt, a rare noise for him to make, and the two continued down the corridors in silence. Thankfully, it was a short walk down to the prison cell where George was being held, and they were soon looking at the man who was about to give his life for the country.
For all of Rimuru's lifetime, that being the short one after he reincarnated, he has never been face to face with a man whose face was more lion than human. In fact, it was far more common for merfolk to have facial features that were more amphibious than human. Despite that, Rimuru could clearly see the reason why so many people lauded this man. Despite being behind a jail cell, clearly facing down death, rather than the look of being defeated, he instead had a look of what could best be described as a sense of accomplishment. Pride, even.
Souma's reaction was similar in the sense that he understood what drew people to George, but he was far more interested in the man than Rimuru was. To Souma, the man in front of him was essentially responsible for guaranteeing his and Liscia's future at the cost of his life. The thing that was grating on his mind, however, was why. Why he would sacrifice his life for a man he hadn't even met, and that was a question that he hoped George would have an answer for.
Souma was the first to offer a greeting. "Duke Carmine."
"Your Highness." George responded. "It is good to finally meet you."
"Likewise." he responded.
George then looked over at Rimuru, expecting something similar. Instead, all he did was lean on a wall and wave at him, much like a casual greeting at a bar. Needless to say, George was quite confused at the excessively casual greeting that certainly didn't match the mood of the situation. Nonetheless, George just mimicked him and waved back.
While Souma noticed how Rimuru greeted George, he decided to just ignore it. h byTo him, there were more pressing matters at hand, and more importantly, answers. However, George beat him to the punch.
"Your Highness, if I may, I have a question."
"What is it?" Souma answered back.
"What will happen to my soldiers? The ones flying under my banner during your siege on my castle. And, what will happen to the corrupt nobles who helped in this rebellion?"
Those were both fair enough questions, especially the first one. Unfortunately, Souma only had satisfactory answers for one of his questions. "Your soldiers will all be pardoned for helping with the war, the occupation, and the handling of prisoners."
"And the nobles?" George asked.
A pained look crossed Souma's face when he pressed the issue. The truth of the matter was that, while he have too many qualms with executing those who were directly involved with trying to overthrow the country, the fact of the matter is that until very recently, the law called for the death sentence of at least three generations of those convicted. Currently, it was down to two thanks to the quick actions of Hakuya, Marx, and Testa, but to him, it was still punishing an innocent for their parents' crimes.
Add into the fact that many of the accused and convicted were humans and other species of similar lifespans, and this would effectively eradicate multiple noble houses, which could be a problem later on down the line. This only hurt more considering that some of the accused sons were either ignorant of or against their parents' transgressions, but thanks to their ties to their family, would die with them.
Since there was a question left hanging in the air, Souma took the time to answer it. "Many of the convicted nobles are awaiting their executions, with some already being executed. However, we are waiting to change the law so that only those guilty will be executed."
George pondered over his answer for a bit. "I see…"
Suddenly, Souma got closer, enough so to the point where he could grab the bars holding George in. Steadying his shaky breath, he said, "And you are going to be among those executed, Duke Carmine. Especially when you didn't need to be! Surely there must have been a better way which didn't involve your death!"
Realizing that he let his emotions get the better of him again, he calmed down and backed away from the cell. Once he looked calm, George said to him, "I took the chance to sacrifice myself to guarantee the futures of the younger generation. For this, I feel no regret. It is something that you will undoubtedly understand once you become a father."
George's words had a subtle reaction from Rimuru, but the two men were too focused on each other to notice.
Souma uttered a simple response to George's words before thinking a bit more. Afterwards, he said what he came here for. "My last question, Duke Carmine. Who planned this with you? Or did you plan all of this yourself?"
Though George tried to feign confusion, Souma caught on to the bit of surprise that his face showed. "You seem to have put an insane amount of trust in me, enough to the point of sacrificing yourself, all for a man you haven't even met. What caused that?"
Silence ensued before George finally answered, "I'm afraid the only answer that I can provide is that Liscia has spoken highly of you in her letters."
"And did you have any benefactors in this plan of yours?"
"I'm afraid I cannot say."
The room was once again engulfed in silence before Souma finally sighed. It was clear to George that, although Souma accepted his answer, he wasn't content with it.
Before either of them could continue picking off from their conversation, Rimuru stepped in and said, "Tell me, George. If you had to pick a way to die, what would it be?"
George gave a little chuckle at his question. It definitely felt quite a bit random, but decided to answer anyways and said, "You know, I've been wondering about that for a while now. Initially, when I was fighting, I lived for the glory of battle. Dying on a battlefield is what every warrior lives for. After I lived and formed a family, however, my priorities changed. Presently, I would be content with having my head lopped off or being hanged."
Souma was, well, more than a little concerned about the rapid change of topic. Before he could object to whatever the hell Rimuru was planning, however, Rimuru said to George, "Close your eyes for me real quick."
George gave him a confused look, but nonetheless obliged. Again, Souma tried to stop whatever he was planning, but before he could get a word out, Rimuru waved his hand in a motion that was similar to spinning a globe.
—
George instantly realized that something felt incredibly off. Right after he heard Souma be interrupted, the first thing that he sensed was smell. Specifically, an earthly smell, one that if he had to put a name on it, smelled distinctly of grass.
"You can open your eyes now."
George heard those words come out of what he assumed was Rimuru's mouth, but he was well on his way to doing so before the man even said anything. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the plains stretching as far as the eye could see beneath a p. There were distant mountains and sparse trees, with one large tree that could not have been more than a hundred meters away from them. In fact, it was so large that the leaves and branches coming off the trunk were almost providing them shade. However, the thing that drew the most attention, at least to him, was both an armor rack and weapon rack that was quite close, the latter of which sporting a variety of weaponry to choose from. Some he was intimately familiar with, and one weapon in particular he absolutely adored.
Standing up and turning to face Rimuru, all he was able to let out was a quiet "What…?"
Souma looked quite confused, though not as much as he did. "Rimuru, what the hell did you just do?"
Trying to placate the situation, Rimuru said, "Relax, relax. To put it in the simplest terms I can, I teleported us onto my own planet."
The two of them looked a bit shocked for a second before Souma pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Wait, wait, wait. You mean we're back to where you were before you got summoned?"
"No, nothing like that. I mean this is my own personal planet."
More silence ensued before Souma said, "Your own planet?"
"Yes."
"As in…?"
Rimuru puffed out his chest confidently and said, "As in I built it."
Finally, it looked like the absurdity of the situation hit Souma. The gears in his head started turning, perhaps a bit too much, as he practically exploded and shouted, "Why in the hell do you need an entire planet to yourself?! What possible reason is there?!"
Rimuru looked genuinely taken aback by the sudden outburst. "Jesus, calm down!" After a few deep breaths by Souma, Rimuru continued, "Look, the reason why I did it was that eventually, my people are going to expend my home planet's resources. So, when that inevitably happens, we now have a whole nother planet to draw resources from!"
Again, Rimuru looked incredibly confident while sharing such a thing as if it was something to be proud of, and not something that only a madman would think to do. Yes, it solved the problem, but it surely couldn't have been the easiest or most efficient solution.
Whatever the case may be, George really didn't care, nor did he really understand what the two were talking about. Instead, he was much more interested in the weapon rack near him. "Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but are these weapons meant to duel?"
"Geez, you getting cold feet now?"
Rimuru's attempt at a joke did not go over very well with the situation at hand, and thankfully, he was able to understand that. Clearing his throat to try and dispel the awkward air that he had created, he tried again.
"Look, the reason why I brought us here is to give you an option for how you want to die. The weapons, as you suspected, are meant for dueling. However, we also have fast acting poison that is as painless as possible should you choose that route. And before you ask, yes, there is a way for you to continue living, but I don't think you'll like it."
George felt that what he liked and didn't like should be up to him, and so urged Rimuru to spill what he meant. Though, truth be told, it would take an incredibly tempting offer for him to continue living. The whole reason why he went with this self-sacrificing campaign of his was to ensure that his wife, daughter, and the country could have a future. Resolving to die for all this time, only to find out that he could have lived would be like being spit on and slapped across the face.
At George's insistence, Rimuru said, "Alright, look. For all intents and purposes, the name and body of George Carmine has to die. However, the way to circumvent that and have you continue living is to effectively transport you into another vessel and adopt a different name. However, as you are not a spiritual life form, it may take some settling in, and to be honest, I've never done something like this before. It could be as simple as you getting up and walking, and it could result in you having to learn how to walk again from scratch to never even being able to use the body. While the choice is yours, I can't personally recommend this."
Rimuru was right. George didn't like that idea too much. Even if he got the best possible scenario, it wasn't like there was a whole lot to come back to. Yes, there was his wife and kid, as well as seeing the country prosper, but as Rimuru said, it would basically be as a different person altogether. Of course, there was the possibility of reuniting with his family while explaining things, and hopefully either Rimuru or Souma would be able to facilitate that, but George felt that there were too many variables in this plan to accept it. Plus, at the end of the day, as selfish as it sounded, it was his life, and he voluntarily chose to end it.
George's grunt was all the confirmation the two of them needed to know that he did not want such a thing, which left either the poison or a fight to the death. Or, more realistically, a fight to his death. By now, he had heard the stories of Rimuru the Immortal, and god only knows what else he has under his sleeve after revealing something like this. However, the more he looked at the weapon rack, the more his adrenaline started pumping, his instincts flaring up, and his muscles remembering their movements.
Slowly, he made his way to the armor rack where he started to methodically put on his armor, each piece of it fitting perfectly well over his body. Once he put on the armor, bearing the insignia of a lion on the chest plate and the gauntlets, he felt reinvigorated. His heart was beating loudly, not in fear, but in anticipation, and he felt his muscles coursing with strength. Then, he looked over to the weapon that was practically calling his name from the moment he laid eyes on it.
He went to the weapon rack and picked up a buckler, a small shield meant for parrying blows, and a longsword that normally would require the average human footsoldier two hands to wield properly. But this was a weapon that George was intimately familiar with, and even in his later years, he could comfortably wield it with just one hand. Now, it felt light, graceful, and fluid.
If he were back on the battlefield, no doubt his enemies would be terrified to face him, while his allies would rally behind him. There was a very good reason why he lived as long as he did while fighting, and it earned him the reputation of a fearsome general, one whom, if you were on the opposite end, the only two scenarios were usually either death or surrender.
Now, things were different. He turned around to face Rimuru, who was wearing nothing but the simple clothes that he came in with. However, this time, he also had a weapon in his hand that was still sheathed. If he remembered correctly, the weapon was a katana, one that he was not overtly familiar with. But, none of that mattered anymore.
Showing a fearsome grin, that gave Rimuru the cue to unsheathe his katana, and with one last mighty roar, the general ran forward to have the fight of his life.
(A/n: Damn, three months. A lot happened, so I'll be quick. First off, during mid semester of college, I was bombarded with six papers in six weeks, so that was fun. And then finals happened, and then I got sick. Good thing for me is that I got straight A's (yippee.) Good thing for you is that I'm on break, and the next chapter should be out within a couple of weeks. Want to give myself some time due to family gatherings and whatnot.
I also maybe platinumed GoW Ragnarok, so that took quite a bit of time too.)