Ludwig pulled the last box of the demonkin's belongings from his Storage Dimension and put it on the ground. Moving his hand to his waist, he finally let his eyes wander. The demonkin from the very same village he had set up a few years ago now had the exact same anticipation and happy expression from back then.
But contrary to their expression, he was still unsure whether what he did was right or wrong back then. He just saved them because he felt like it was some way of atoning for his sins. But the more he thought after that, the more he felt the demonkin didn't really have a bright future in front of them.
And as expected, forget thriving, surviving was already a great ordeal for them. If it wasn't for a particular merchant group that owed a big favour to him, the village of demonkin he set up had to truly be self-sufficient in everything.
It seemed like he had to visit them after a long time to express his gratitude to them.
"Yo!"
The sudden voice woke Ludwig up from his thoughts. He shifted his body a little and quickly grinned before looking at where the voice came from. "I thought I wouldn't see you at all, you know?"
Rimuru only stopped after he stood beside him. But his eyes, it didn't go into him but elsewhere. "You already told me the move will take three days. I just decided to show up on the last day. Effective, right?"
Ludwig let out a loud scoff before answering. "Something can only be called effective when you do many things in the meantime. You don't have anything on your plate, so how can you call coming here on the last day effective?"
"Hey!" Rimuru protested. "I have many things to do, okay? Do you know how hard I try to help you with the matters with Dwargon?"
Ludwig let out another scoff at his slime friend's rebuttal. The matter with Dwargon was wrapped up the very next day after the incident. King Gazel and some of his retainers came to the restaurant in the afternoon to apologize. But that's not all; he also explained why he asked him the question.
With his annoyance already subsiding, he took the chance to chat directly with the king of the dwarves. He even told him that he didn't appreciate being questioned like that since, if he wanted, he could just ravage Tempest and then leave.
By the end of their discussion, their relationship hadn't become close like what Gazele achieved with Rimuru. But at least, they were amicable, opening doors for future talks.
"That matter was concluded a long time ago." Ludwig told Rimuru. "Don't start lying to me now."
Clicking his tongue, Rimuru answered. "Fine, fine. I'm just busy with other things, okay? With so many demonkin moving here, we need to expand the city significantly. And doing that recklessly would only bring more trouble to the city, so I personally took charge of it."
Ludwig let out a hum at Rimuru's explanation before he gazed at the sky above. From the slime's tone, it didn't seem like he was lying. Which meant it was finally starting. The divergence in the timeline had finally started with the demonkin relocation as the catalyst.
He still couldn't be sure whether the expansion would be the same as what he knew would happen in the future. But he was sure about one thing: originally, Tempest wouldn't do anything like expansion before Milim came. Heck, they wouldn't even expand much before the attack on Tempest by the otherworlders.
But well, it's not bad. It's not surprising either. Even though he was sure something bad would come with the growth, with him around, he would be able to push the damage down a lot.
"Well, you do you, my friend." Ludwig chuckled before taking a step towards the crowd in front of him.
Ludwig moved through the crowd at an easy pace, only stopping when someone needed him and moving on when they did not. Most of the faces from the first and second day had already lost the wonder in their eyes as well as the awkwardness of living somewhere completely new. They had figured out where things were, which road they should take, and even helped the newer batch to settle down.
That was exactly why Ludwig staged the move over three different days. He had helped them move here, struck a deal with Rimuru before even bringing the matters to the demonkin themselves. So, it's now time for them to rely on themselves.
After he walked around the area where the demonkin would settle, he once again found Rimuru. With the Dratini on his neck, he was crouched down to eye level with a demonkin child who could not have been older than five, engaged in what appeared to be a very serious conversation about something Ludwig could not hear from where he stood.
Whatever Rimuru said next made her burst into laughter.
He stood back up after that and drifted over to him with his hands behind his back and the particular expression of someone who wanted credit.
"What do you tell her?" Ludwig decided to take the bait.
Still with a smug look on his face, Rimuru answered. "She asked me why I am a human when I was the leader of a village full of demonkin. I told her I am not, but my true form is still a secret for now."
"That's it?" Ludwig raised his eyebrows. That shouldn't be funny enough to make such a little girl burst into laughter.
"Well, there's more. But why should I tell–"
Rimuru never finished his sentence before his head whipped to the opposite direction as fast as th lightning.
Ludwig also felt it as his eyes went to the sky instinctively. Something was coming. Something strong enough to announce their arrival even when nothing could still be seen on the horizon.
A fraction of a second later, his pupils widened. He finally remembered the major story that happened after the deal with Dwargon.
Milim Nava.
In his initial estimation, Milim would arrive in Tempest at least two or three weeks after Gazel left. Never in his wildest imagination did he ever think the dragon would arrive just a week after.
"Something is coming, and it's fast." Rimuru mumbled. At the same time, the Dratini curled closer around his neck.
"Let's go." Ludwig said before he moved his hand to Rimuru's shoulder.
In the next moment, they were already far from where the demonkin of Ortus settled. Now, they were in an empty patch of land just outside the boundary of the city.
"Should we stay here or should we get closer to it?" Ludwig asked as both of them returned to the fold of reality.
"Let's stay here." Rimuru answered. "If something happened, it would be easier for the civilians to notice."
Ludwig nodded at his friend's solid reasoning. At the same time, he connected his mind to his Storage Dimension. He had prepared for this day to come. Akane had taken his request seriously and come up with some desserts which she could make but were hard to mass-produce.
He really needed to thank her later. She did it so well, even after he told her he couldn't tell the reason yet.
The two of them stood there without speaking for a moment. With every passing second, the aura got closer and closer. But before it arrived, footsteps came from behind him.
Benimaru arrived first, which was not surprising. His hand was already resting near his weapon and his eyes were fixed on the same point in the sky that Ludwig and Rimuru were watching. Souei materialized a few steps to the left a moment later, quiet enough that Ludwig only registered him through his blaring sense rather than any sound he made. Shion came in behind Benimaru with her enormous sword already drawn, her expression tensed and excited at the same time. Seemed like she was hoping this would become a fight. Last but not least, Hakurou also appeared. He settled into a position slightly apart from the others with his hand on his hilt and eyes that were too calm in front of an unknown enemy.
Benimaru looked at Rimuru. "What do you want us to do, Rimuru-sama?"
A silent stretch after the question. Something which rarely happened when Rimuru was in the conversation. But when such a thing happened, Ludwig had learned one thing: The Slime was brainstorming ideas with The Great Sage inside of him.
After a few seconds passed, Rimuru finally opened his mouth.
"You guys stay back. Ludwig and I will try to stop whatever is coming here."
Ludwig didn't even get surprised when he heard his name coming out of Rimuru's mouth. On the contrary, he thought that was the most natural matter of course. He might not have looked like it, but his current power was way above the top fighter of Tempest.
Only Hakurou might be stronger than him. But that's only technique-wise. If they fought with all they got, Hakurou would find it hard for his technique to work against him.
Not long after, a dot finally appeared in the clear sky. Ludwig watched it grow bigger and bigger with each passing moment. Only after that could he finally see her. Just like he remembered, she was petite. Her pink hair was flying back from all the wind she pushed through, but unlike her title as a Demon Lord, she had a smile on her face rather than a scary scowl.
Then there's her clothes…
Clothes that Ludwig sure was only made for fan service rather than anything else.
He filed that observation away without dwelling on it as she didn't even slow down. Rimuru exhaled slowly beside him. The Dratini had pressed itself flat against his shoulders.
Then she hit.
The impact threw dust and loose earth outward in a barrage that swept past Ludwig's face. The pressure wave arrived half a second after, pushing against his chest with enough force that he took one step back before he caught himself. Somewhere behind him, he heard Shion planting her sword into the ground to stay upright.
When the dust thinned, she was already standing in the center of it. Wings folding back. Eyes moving across the line of faces in front of her with the bright, unadulterated curiosity of someone who had arrived somewhere interesting and wanted to know what it had to offer.
Her gaze landed on Rimuru first. Then it slid sideways and found Ludwig, and stayed there for a moment longer than he expected.
"You." She pointed at him directly. "You smell weird."
Ludwig blinked once. Behind him, he heard Benimaru make a sound that was quickly suppressed.
"I never heard someone tell me that before," Ludwig answered before a grim bloom on his face. "But maybe it was because I cook good food every day?"
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