Three days after Rimuru’s escape.
Diablo and Souei were still residing in the Ingracia Kingdom.
They had concentrated on gathering information in the relevant locations on the second day, and they now had a good grasp on what was happening.
In just one day, they had talked to the prominent leaders of nearly every country. It was incredibly fast and would have been unthinkable under normal circumstances.
Much of it was due to Souei’s spying efforts, but Diablo’s unresting energy meant that they were able to avoid a lot of the trivial processes.
The truth was that there was no one who would reject meeting with them once the name of the ‘Demon Lord’ who worked under Great Demon Lord Rimuru, was brought up.
No matter how much pressure the guards and gatekeepers tried to exude when attempting to send them away, Diablo’s smile was enough to make them freeze and eventually give in.
Of course, giving in was the right answer for them.
Continuing to resist here would have absolutely no benefits for their wellbeing.
And so things went very smoothly and without interruption. And they had just now finished checking that they had all the information that they needed.
And so today–
Diablo and Souei were attempting their biggest challenge yet in the Ingracia Kingdom, to be granted a visit to Elrick, the former prince.
This Kingdom of Ingracia was in chaos due to the previous great war, and while it was called a kingdom, it was no longer ruled by a king.
The royal family had temporarily lost their position, and all of the power and authority had been taken by the Freedom Arbitration Committee.
Even after the great war, a noble assembly was established under the supervision of the Committee’s directors, and the royal family had no involvement in running the kingdom.
If anything, they were not permitted to be involved in the government at all.
And it was not only the royal family. Powerful nobles were used as model cases for democracy and the abolition of the class system. And this was gaining attention all of over the kingdom.
Of course, without the interference of the Committee, the kingdom would have likely perished during the chaos of the great war.
The previous king had been killed by Elrick, the prince, and Reiner, leader of the Grand Knight Order. And they had attempted to usurp the throne.
The Hero Masayuki had quieted the chaos, and the anger and chaos of the people had begun to heal.
Thanks to this, the ire of the public did not move towards the royal family and other nobles.
But ultimately, Prince Elrick was disinherited and he lost his right of ascension before being confined.
The nobles who had aided Prince Elrick were also dealt with, which meant a vast purging of many powerful nobles.
Because of all of this, the Kingdom of Ingracia had no choice but to continue and accept the intervention of the Freedom Arbitration Committee.
As 10 years had passed, there were even some among the nobles who accepted the current situation.
However, this reality where they could not make decisions without depending on a foreign country, was not something that the public could accept.
Therefore, it soon became an earnest wish by many, that the royal family be restored, and independence regained for the Kingdom of Ingracia.
.
Elrick could be seen as the culprit who had created this situation, and so it was not easy for even someone like Diablo to be able to meet him.
Normally, it would have been difficult to even find out where he was being held, nevermind actually meeting him.
And yet in just 1 day–and through official means and without relying on violence, Diablo had been granted a meeting.
This was an impressive feat in negotiating that astonished even Souei.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Elrick.”
“Hello, Elrick. I am called Diablo.”
“–I am Souei. It’s nice to meet you.”
There was a simple greeting.
It was only these three in the room.
The room was perfectly protected from eavesdropping, on top of Diablo’s own ‘Magic Barrier.’ And so the space they were in was so isolated that it might as well have been in a different dimension.
It was only after this high level of secrecy was secured that Diablo spoke of the main subject.
“Now. The reason I came to meet you today, is because I wanted to ask you about your younger brother.”
This straightforward question seemed to have made Elrick relax.
It was much better to have their purpose known clearly, than to talk endlessly in a roundabout way and slowly chip away at his sanity.
They had been able to predict that being locked up for 10 years had dulled his ability to understand what the other person wanted.
Furthermore, it had probably been a long while since he had a conversation with a stranger.
It seemed that Elrick believed that Masayuki had saved him, and ever since then, he had lived without holding on to any strange ambitions.
And while he was not able to walk freely outside, he was allowed to go as far as the gardens in this mansion owned by his family, as long as he was accompanied by a guard.
This lifestyle seemed to have caused a dislike for high-class manners and intricate negotiation rituals.
From all of this, it was clear that Elrick had lived the past 10 years without much interaction with others.
“Julius is brilliant. He accepts the hopes and expectations of the other nobles and is trying his best to meet them. As his older brother, I believe that he will make a fine king.”
Elrick said without hesitation.
Hmph. Diablo clicked his tongue.
He looked at Elrick carefully and decided that there was no lie in his words.
And he was right. Diablo’s ability to observe never failed him.
After that, Diablo asked a few questions with a light-hearted air, as if he were asking about something mundane.
“What happened to the royal family’s fortune?”
“They have been frozen. There is also a royal inheritance that has been passed down for generations, but that is being managed by the Committee, and I do not have free access to it. Besides, that money cannot be used…”
“Why?”