DID YOU KNOW? YOU CAN NOW READ THREE TO SIX CHAPTERS AHEAD. CHECK MY PROFILE FOR THE LINK.
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"Muahahahaha! A war?" Veldora laughed boisterously once again, his voice echoing throughout the pavilion. "My buddy Rimuru and I are sure to win any war! Sorry, Luminous, but victory is already decided for Tempest!"
Rimuru immediately transformed into his human form, bringing one hand up and slapping it against his face. "Dammit, Veldora! You don't even know what we're talking about!"
"But of course I do, Rimuru." Veldora grabbed Rimuru by the shoulder and pulled him closer, casually throwing an arm around him as though the two of them were preparing to march into battle together.
"No, you don't." Rimuru pushed Veldora away with an exasperated expression. "We're not at war! We're trying to avoid an all-out war here, and you're not helping!"
Veldora blinked. "...Oh."
Rimuru sighed heavily. "Now, if you could just sit down and let the adults handle this..."
"Fine." Veldora returned to his seat, grumbling under his breath as Rimuru straightened his clothes and returned his attention to the other leaders.
Kaede couldn't help but stare at the two brothers-in-all-but-blood for a moment.
She had known Rimuru for long enough to understand that this was probably a normal occurrence.
It was still entertaining to watch.
Rimuru cleared his throat. "Anyway, now that we've established that nobody is declaring war..."
Veldora raised his hand.
Rimuru immediately pointed at him. "No."
Veldora slowly lowered his hand.
Rimuru turned back toward Luminous and Kaede.
"The whole point of this summit is to prevent that from happening in the first place. Tempest, Lubelius, and Maple Tree have all reached the point where our current relationship simply isn't sustainable anymore."
His expression became more serious. "We've had conflicts in the past, misunderstandings, attacks, and incidents that have created a lot of distrust between our nations. We can't continue to tip toe around one another."
Luminous nodded. "Precisely." Her heterochromatic eyes swept across the pavilion before settling on Kaede and Rimuru.
"There is little benefit in allowing old grievances to dictate the future of our nations. Lubelius has no desire to wage war against either Tempest or Maple Tree, and I doubt either of you have any interest in fighting us."
Kaede's eyes narrowed slightly. "That depends."
Luminous raised an eyebrow.
Kaede leaned back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest. "I agree that war is the last thing any of us need, but there's something we're overlooking."
Rimuru's expression became slightly uneasy. He already knew where this was going.
Kaede looked directly at Luminous. "Lubelius is responsible for both of the major incidents we're supposedly trying to resolve."
The pavilion became noticeably quieter.
Hinata's expression remained composed, although her eyes narrowed slightly.
Kaede continued. "The first was the attack on Rimuru during the early stages of Falmuth's invasion."
Rimuru shifted slightly in his seat.
"Hinata attacked him while he was returning to protect Tempest, and regardless of the circumstances surrounding that incident, it created a situation where Tempest and Lubelius nearly ended up at war."
Hinata didn't interrupt. She simply listened.
Kaede's gaze then shifted toward her. "And the second..." Her voice became quieter.."...was Pito."
The name fell into the pavilion like a stone dropped into still water.
Hachi's expression immediately hardened.
Hanae's hand moved subtly toward her mother's shoulder.
Kaede's fingers tightened against her arm. "Pito was an important official of Maple Tree." Kaede continued, her voice remaining controlled despite the anger beneath it. "She wasn't some random soldier who happened to get caught in the middle of a conflict. She was one of my people. One of my family."
Hinata lowered her gaze slightly.
"And she was killed by Hinata."
The silence that followed was considerably heavier than before.
Kaede looked toward Luminous. "So when you say we need to put our differences aside, I understand what you're asking."
Her eyes hardened. "But you also need to understand why I might not be willing to simply forget."
Luminous remained silent for several moments. "The [Mother Of Monsters] title."
Kaede raised an eyebrow. "So you do understand."
"I do." Luminous's voice was calm.
Hinata's fingers tightened slightly around the arm of her chair.
Luminous looked toward the Holy Knight.
Kaede stared at her.
Before she could continue, a loud gasp came from the other side of the pavilion.
"WHAT!?"
Everyone turned.
Veldora was staring at Kaede with his eyes wide open. "LITTLE PITO!?"
Both Kaede and Rimuru froze. Hachi's antennae shot straight upward Even Luminous looked surprised.
"You know Pito?" Kaede asked.
Veldora pointed at her as though she had just revealed the greatest secret in the history of the world. "Of course I know Pito!"
He looked around the pavilion in disbelief. "Little Pito! The tiny Antari with the ridiculously cheerful personality!"
Kaede's mouth opened slightly.
Rimuru stared at Veldora. "You... actually knew her?"
"Of course I did!" Veldora looked genuinely confused by their reactions. "She was one of the two people I mentioned visited me before you did, Rimuru."
Kaede's eyes widened. "I know Ari and you met, but Pito never mentioned meeting you." Then a look of realization flashed in her eyes. "Charlotte! Of course, I sent Pito to find me a spider monster back then, and she came back with Charlotte."
"Yes!" Veldora nodded enthusiastically. "She attacked me a few times with her guns, before asking for directions on where to find a spider."
Hachi's expression slowly changed from anger to disbelief. "Lady Pito visited Lord Veldora?"
Veldora nodded. "Indeed!" He suddenly looked toward Kaede. "Wait..." His smile slowly disappeared. "You said she was killed."
Kaede's expression softened. "...Yes."
Veldora's eyes widened. "By Hinata?"
Nobody answered. They didn't need to.
Veldora slowly turned his head toward Hinata. For the first time since entering the pavilion, there was no trace of his usual carefree expression.
His eyes narrowed. The air around the Storm Dragon suddenly became heavy. "She killed Little Pito?"
The words were quiet. Far too quiet.
The nine Great Saints immediately reacted.
Chairs scraped against the marble floor as they shot to their feet, hands moving instinctively toward their weapons.
"Protect Lady Hinata!"
"Everyone, stay alert!"
"Do not let the Storm Dragon make a move!"
Steel was drawn in an instant, the sound of blades leaving their sheaths echoing throughout the pavilion.
Hanae and Hachi responded almost immediately.
Both Dryad and Antari rose from their seats, their expressions changing as their gazes locked onto the Saints.
Hanae's vines began to curl around her arms, while Hachi's fingers flexed at her sides.
"Put those weapons away." Hanae's voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it. "Unless you're looking for a fight."
The Saints tightened their grips.
"Lady Hinata!"
"We cannot allow them to threaten you!"
Hinata immediately stood. "Enough!" Her voice cut through the pavilion.
The Saints hesitated.
Hinata turned toward them, her expression stern. "Lower your weapons. Now."
"But Lady Hinata..."
"That is an order."
The Saints exchanged glances before reluctantly lowering their weapons, though none of them sheathed them.
Hinata then turned toward Veldora. "Veldora."
The Storm Dragon didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on her.
Hinata could feel it. The anger. The hostility. And something far more dangerous beneath both. "You have my word that Pito's death was not something I took lightly."
Veldora's expression darkened. "That doesn't answer my question."
Hinata remained silent for a moment. "...Yes."
The single word was enough.
Veldora's aura exploded. "YOU..!"
"Lord Veldora!" Shuna rushed forward, placing herself between the Storm Dragon and the Holy Knights.
"Please calm down!"
"Calm down!?" Veldora's voice shook the pavilion. "She killed Little Pito!"
"I understand that you're angry!"
"Angry doesn't even begin to describe it!" The ground beneath Veldora's feet cracked.
Shuna's smile became strained. "Lord Veldora, please remember where you are."
Veldora's fists clenched.
For several seconds, it looked as though the entire summit was about to collapse into chaos.
Yet three people remained seated.
Kaede.
Luminous.
And Rimuru.
The three leaders simply stared at one another. None of them needed to say anything. They all understood exactly how dangerous the situation had become.
Rimuru's eyes shifted toward Kaede. Kaede met his gaze. Then Luminous looked between them.
A silent understanding passed between the three.
Enough.
Their auras were released, and the world seemed to stop.
A wave of overwhelming power erupted from the pavilion, spreading outward in every direction.
Kaede's aura surged outward like an immense, dark tide, carrying the crushing weight of the ruler of Maple Tree.
Luminous's presence followed, cold and oppressive, filling the surrounding air with the overwhelming majesty of an ancient Demon Lord.
And then Rimuru's aura emerged like an unending waterfall that slammed down endlessly on all around it.
The three forces collided.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
The trees surrounding the pavilion bent beneath the pressure, their leaves violently scattering into the air as the ground groaned beneath everyone's feet.
The combined pressure spread far beyond the pavilion, rolling across Tempest like an invisible storm.
The Saints immediately braced themselves, their bodies struggling against the immense pressure.
Benimaru's expression hardened as he planted his feet firmly against the ground.
Shion gritted her teeth. Soei's eyes narrowed. Even Hakurou's usually relaxed expression became serious.
The Great Saints struggled to remain standing as the overwhelming forces pressed down upon them.
Several of them instinctively raised their weapons again, though this time there was no intention of attacking.
They were simply trying to keep themselves steady.
Hanae's vines dug into the marble beneath her feet. Sera grabbed the edge of her clothing as the pressure swept over her.
Shuna's smile had finally disappeared. Even Rimuru's own subordinates were affected.
Three people however, remained unaffected.
Veldora.
Hachi.
And Hinata.
Veldora stood completely still, his eyes locked onto Hinata.
Hachi remained beside her mother, her body relaxed despite the overwhelming pressure filling the pavilion.
And Hinata...
Hinata simply stood there. Her silver hair moved gently in the turbulent air as she stared directly at Veldora.
Neither of them looked away.
Kaede slowly lifted her eyes toward Veldora. "Enough."
Veldora's eyes shifted toward her.
Kaede's expression was calm, but there was no warmth in it. "This is exactly what I was trying to avoid."
Luminous glanced toward Kaede. "And yet here we are."
Rimuru sighed. "Because Veldora can't keep his mouth shut."
"Hey!" Veldora looked offended.
Rimuru immediately glared at him. "Not now!"
Veldora closed his mouth.
The pressure slowly began to recede. The leaves that had been suspended in the air began to fall.
Weapons were lowered. The Saints slowly relaxed.
Hanae and Hachi remained standing for another moment before finally returning to their seats.
Veldora, however, did not sit down. His gaze remained fixed on Hinata. "So..." His voice was quieter now. "You killed Little Pito."
Hinata met his gaze. "Yes."
Veldora's fists clenched again.
Kaede watched him carefully. She could see the conflict in his expression.
Rage. Grief. And confusion.
Because as far as Veldora was concerned, Pito wasn't some distant official of Maple Tree.
She was the cheerful littl
e Antari who had once wandered into his domain. Someone he remembered. Someone he apparently cared about.
Veldora finally exhaled. "...Why?"
Hinata's expression softened slightly. "Because at the time, I was a fool. And I let my emotions and assumptions get the better of me."
Veldora's eyes narrowed.