Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)-Chapter 116 - One Hundred And Sixteen

"What did you say!?"

Rimuru’s gelatinous body jolted upright, wobbling with the kind of agitation that looked comical. He stared at Soei, who remained on one knee at the center of the conference room, his expression grim.

"The Falmuth army currently stands at one hundred and fifty thousand," Soei repeated, with the same measured delivery as the first time. "Based on current trajectories, we expect that number to continue growing."

Rimuru’s form wobbled again. "One hundred and fifty thousand." He said it slowly, as though the number might reveal itself to be a misunderstanding if given enough time. "Soei, they were twenty thousand strong last week. Last week. What in the world happened between then and now?"

"Well," Benimaru said from his position to Rimuru’s right, his arms folded. "It appears Falmuth has been applying pressure to several of the surrounding nations."

Rigurd stepped forward, adjusting the considerable stack of papers tucked under his arm. "The financial reports we received from Blumund corroborate this. Falmuth has also been engaging mercenary companies. At least five thousand confirmed, with skill levels comparable to B-rank adventurers. Likely more that haven’t surfaced in any documentation we’ve been able to access."

"Mercenaries," Rimuru muttered. His slime form had gone very still. "So they’re supplementing the conscripted forces with hired professionals."

Shuna’s sleeves rose to cover her mouth, her expression carefully. "If Falmuth continues at this rate, the western provinces will begin to take notice. Should they be forced to pick a side, I can’t imagine that it would be in our favour."

"Precisely." Geld’s deep voice carried across the room, unhurried. "And if the Holy Church were to read that moment correctly, use the momentum Falmuth is building as cover for another mobilization of their own..." He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.

The room absorbed that quietly for a moment.

"Speak for yourselves, the lot of you!"

Every head turned.

Shion stood at the far side of the conference table, which was to say she was not so much standing as occupying. Lord Rimuru was currently held against her chest.

"We already proved that the ten great saints are no match for our strength," she continued. "An army of one hundred and fifty thousand?" She made a sound that fell somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. "Lambs to the slaughter. Every single one of them. Let them come."

"Shion," Rimuru said from his position against her chest. "Let’s not get ahead of ourselves."

"Of course, Lord Rimuru." She beamed down at him. "I only meant that you personally will also be doing quite a lot of the slaughtering."

Rimuru peeled himself free with the practiced efficiency of long experience, reformed into his humanoid shape, and dropped back into his seat.

He looked around the table.

"Right," he said quietly. "So. What do we do?"

"Lord Rimuru. I have a question." Benimaru’s voice carried a slight hesitation that wasn’t usually there. Rimuru glanced at him.

"Hit me," he said.

Benimaru exhaled slowly, as though he’d been turning the question over for a while before deciding to ask it. "What are your plans for Falmuth. Once all of this is over."

"What do you mean?"

"Lady Kaede’s offer," Benimaru said. "I’m wondering if you’ve reconsidered it. Given the circumstances."

Rimuru was quiet for a moment. He shifted slightly in his seat. "Ah. That." A short pause. "Yeah. I was kind of hoping we weren’t going to circle back to that one."

"Falmuth is actively amassing a force against us," Benimaru pressed, his voice measured but firm. "We’re well within our rights to respond however we see fit."

"Our goal," Rimuru said, "is to show that monsters and humans can actually get along. That’s harder to do if every human nation west of Jura decides we’re too dangerous to exist near."

Shuna’s voice came quietly from across the table. "They already think that about us."

The words landed without drama. Nobody disputed them.

Rimuru’s expression softened, though it didn’t waver. "Which is exactly why we have to keep going. Work twice as hard. Show them something different." He looked around the room, unhurried. "I understand where you’re all coming from. I understand Kaede’s point too. I do. But the moment we start hitting people just because they might hit us first, we’ve already lost the argument." A small smile. "I want to be friends with the humans. Even the annoying ones. Two wrongs don’t make a right."

"What a truly wonderful saying, Lord Rimuru."

Shion’s voice drifted in from somewhere behind his left shoulder, warm and deeply satisfied.

"Two wrongs. Beautifully put." She straightened with the solemn gravity of someone delivering a verdict. "You should all take note. Let the humans conduct themselves like animals if they wish. We are civilised. We shall remain the responsible party."

Rimuru stared forward.

’...You were ready to slaughter a hundred and fifty thousand people not five minutes ago.’

He decided, as he often did in these moments, that some things were better left unsaid.

---

The Kingdom of Raja announced itself gradually. The cliffs appeared first, dark and sheer against the pale sky, and then the waterfalls threading down their faces in long silver ribbons, and then, nestled between it all like something that had grown there rather than been built, the city itself, warm-stoned and alive with the particular energy of a place that had decided, against considerable odds, to keep existing.

Kaede sat at the prow of her armoured dragonfly with her arms foward and her hair moving in the wind off the water, watching it come into view with quiet satisfaction.

Behind her, Kirara sat close enough that chest rested casually on her back. Kaede had tried not think about it too much, and failed.

Kirara had positioned herself there before the journey and had not moved since.

"It’s beautiful," Kirara said.

"It is," Kaede agreed.

"The cliffs especially." Kirara tilted her head slightly, her eyes on the waterfalls. "I didn’t expect it to look like this."

"I know, right?"

A comfortable silence settled between them. The wind came off the water in warm gusts, carrying the faint mineral scent of the falls. Below them, the rest of the crew moved with practiced efficiency, navigating the approach channels with their own Armoured Dragonflies.

Kirara tilted her head slightly further, just enough that her jaw came to rest, very lightly, against Kaede’s shoulder.

Kaede looked straight ahead at the city.

The corner of her mouth did something small and involuntary that she made no effort to stop.

"Boss!"

Both of them turned.

Glenda was making her way along the surface of the water with enthusiastic energy, her red hair catching the sunlight, a hand raised in greeting as though they might somehow have missed her presence on a Dragonfly of that size.

"Boss, look at this place!" She reached them slightly later, planting both hands on the guard and leaning out over the water with a grin that took up most of her face. "I looked it up in the records and it says those waterfalls run year round. Year round! How does that even work?"

"Underground aquifers, maybe?" Kaede said.

"That’s so cool." Glenda shook her head with genuine delight. "Are we doing the governing body introductions first or the tour first?"

"Introductions," Kaede said. "Then the tour."

"Right, right. Professional first." Glenda nodded seriously, then immediately undermined it by pointing toward the upper city with barely contained excitement. "Is that a market up there? It looks like a market. Can we go to the market?"

"After the introductions."

"Absolutely. Completely understood." A pause. "What if the market is very close to where the introductions are happening."

"Glenda."

"Yes, Boss."

Kirara made a sound beside Kaede that was not quite a laugh but was close enough to one that Glenda caught it and pointed at her immediately.

"See, the Commander gets it."

"The Commander," Kirara said, "is staying out of this."

The Dragonflies eased into the dock with low groans, and before them Raja was warm and loud and smelled of river water and spiced food from the market stalls that lined the harbor front.

Queen Towa was waiting at the dock.

She stood a little apart from her attendants, composed as always in her green and gold, her amethyst eyes finding Kaede’s the moment she arrived on Dragonfly back.

"Lady Kaede," she said warmly. "Welcome back."

"Towa." Kaede smiled. "You didn’t have to come down yourself."

"I wanted to." The answer came simply, without elaboration, similar to the way Towa had started delivering things ever since the night on the balcony.

Kaede accepted it with a small nod.

Towa’s eyes moved to Kirara, polite and curious. "And this must be Lady Kirara. I’ve heard a great deal about you."

"Good things I hope," Kirara said pleasantly.

"Mostly," Towa said, with a smile that suggested the qualifier was deliberate.

Kirara blinked. Then laughed, surprised and genuine, the sound carrying out over the dock.

Kaede glanced sideways at Towa with a look that said, quietly and without words, that she appreciated that more than she was going to say out loud.

Towa received it with the faintest lift at the corner of her lips and turned to lead them up into the city.

Glenda fell into step at the back of the group, craning her neck toward the market stalls with an expression of intense personal longing.

"After," Kaede said, without turning around.

"I didn’t say anything," Glenda said.

"You were about to."

A pause.

"...Yes, Boss."

"I can’t believe you want to waste your first pay check on a three day vacation." Kaede said offhandedly.

"I’m getting paid boss! You have no idea how happy that makes me right now." Glenda couldn’t care for how she sounded as she grinned. "Back in the church, we were paid in goods and livestock, and even then, it was just enough to get by. Could barely get anything out of them in trades. Good bye homo lifestyle!"

Towa turned to look at Glenda over her shoulder. "Homo lifestyle?"

"Homogenous," Glenda said, without missing a beat. "Everything the same, every day. Same food, same routine, same four walls. Same people telling you what God wants." She said it lightly, although they sounded like they weren’t light at all. "First paycheck is going toward something completely unnecessary and I refuse to feel bad about it."

"What are you going to buy?" Kirara asked.

Glenda’s eyes drifted back toward the market stalls. "I don’t know yet. That’s the point. I’m going to walk around until something catches my eye and then I’m going to buy it for no reason." A pause. "Maybe two things."

"You’ve really thought about this," Kirara said.

"I’ve thought about nothing else for three weeks."

Kaede said nothing, but something in her expression had gone quieter. She kept walking, her eyes on the city rising above them, and let the conversation carry on without her.

Towa led them up through the harbor district and into the wider streets of Raja’s lower city, where the reconstruction work of the past year had left everything looking simultaneously old and newly confident, stone that had always been there alongside stone that was still pale from the quarry, the two blending into something that felt less like repair and more like growth.

The people they passed looked up as the group moved through. Some recognized Kaede and bowed, or raised a hand, or simply watched with the open curiosity of people who had learned that this particular visitor tended to arrive with interesting company. A few of the children along the roadside stared at Kirara’s silver lined attire with huge eyes before being quietly redirected by nearby adults.

"Is this why you had us land at the port?" Kirara murmured.

"Thought you’d notice," Kaede said. "I might not be around very often for them, but that doesn’t mean I can’t familiarise myself with them. They’re my people now after all "

"So you enjoy them staring at you?"

"At whoever I bring." A beat. "Last time it was Ari. Half the lower city followed us for two blocks."

Kirara glanced sideways at her. "And before that?"

"Syrup."

"Of course." Kirara’s lips curved. "Your enormous magical turtle."

"He’s very personable."

"He says one word."

"It’s a very personable word."

Kirara laughed, low and easy, and the sound of it did the same thing to the corner of Kaede’s mouth that it had been doing since they boarded the dragonfly.

Towa, walking slightly ahead, did not turn around. But something in the set of her shoulders suggested she had heard.

Glenda, for her part, had fallen slightly behind the group again, this time because she had stopped to examine a textile stall at the edge of the road with the concentrated attention of someone conducting serious research.

"Glenda," Kaede said.

"Coming, coming." She jogged back into formation, something small and wrapped in paper already disappearing into her coat pocket.

Kaede looked at her.

"It was one copper," Glenda said defensively. "That barely counts."

Towa glanced back at Glenda with an expression that was doing its level best to remain diplomatic and not quite managing it.

They turned off the main street and into a wider avenue that climbed toward the administrative quarter, the buildings here taller and older, their facades carved with the particular decorative detail of architecture that had been built to last. At the top of the avenue, the governing hall sat behind a low iron gate, its doors open, a small delegation already gathered on the steps waiting to receive them.

Kaede looked at the delegation, then back at her group.

Glenda had straightened up and arranged her expression into something approaching professional. Kirara had done the same, her posture shifting into the easy authority she carried naturally when she remembered to use it.

Kaede turned back to the steps.

"Remember," she said, to no one in particular and everyone present. "Introductions first."

"And then the market," Glenda said, very quietly, to herself.

"I heard that."

"I know, Boss."