"So extreme?"
Rimuru's figure slowly materialized.
The moment she appeared, the acrid smell of smoke assaulted her senses, making her grimace in disgust.
Before her, raging flames consumed the forest, and the ground was littered with the corpses of various animals.
"How cruel!"
By the time the two arrived, Doris and Trya had already reached the scene.
They had promptly extinguished the forest fire.
Even so, the ground was left scorched, strewn with the remains of countless animals and magical beasts.
No wonder Damien was so furious... these humans had gone too far.
Or perhaps, in their eyes, this forest, which didn't belong to them, was disposable.
Burn it to ashes, kill the animals inside, destroy the ecosystem.
Poisoning the land, spreading plagues, or resorting to even viler methods...
As long as it led to victory, anything was permissible.
"The Kingdom of Falmuth, huh..."
Rimuru activated the power of Athena, Lord of Wisdom.
Listening to the thoughts of the human soldiers, her pity for humanity was steadily eroding.
If it was just setting the forest ablaze, Rimuru, though disapproving, could understand the harsh reality of the battlefield.
But from the thoughts she overheard, their goal wasn't merely to attack the Monster Kingdom... they planned a merciless massacre.
Elders, women, children...
Everyone had to die!
Only then could these "lowly" monsters be taught not to touch the cake of Falmuth's nobles!
"All this just to flaunt the so-called dignity of the nobles?"
"The leaders and aristocrats of the Western Nations," Rimuru's gaze turned ice-cold, "don't deserve to be called human!"
They hadn't even considered negotiating or seeking peace with the forest's creatures.
No!
To the nobles, what right did these lowly monsters have to sit at their table?
Just a bunch of beasts in human skin.
Death or submission was their only fate!
"So you saw this coming, didn't you?"
Rimuru had initially wondered why Damien's first instinct was to annihilate Falmuth.
There were clearly better, more peaceful solutions.
But now, Rimuru understood.
Those people never saw the forest's creatures as equals.
"Whatever..."
Rimuru slowly closed her eyes, thinking of the adorable residents of the Monster Kingdom, the straightforward oni and star wovless.
Human or not... it was never about race or bloodline.
If they had hearts and emotions, they were human!
To protect those behind her, to ensure they could live happy, fulfilling lives, Rimuru didn't mind becoming the one wielding the butcher's knife.
"Have you made up your mind?"
Damien's voice sounded in Rimuru's ear.
"Yeah."
Rimuru replied, "Isn't this exactly why you sent me here?"
Damien admitted he'd treated this mission as a trial for Rimuru.
"No need to feel guilty."
Rimuru sensed Damien's remorse and shook her head. "You're the one who showed me the truth of this world, and I needed to make a choice."
Unlike other monsters, Rimuru had once been a human with a well-rounded worldview.
But after reincarnating into this world and starting a new life, she learned a crucial lesson.
As a person, you had to choose your side.
Monster or human?
When Rimuru opened her eyes again, her golden gaze held only resolve and killing intent. "The people of the Monster Kingdom are my true companions!"
"Is that so..."
Damien said, sharing a memory with Rimuru. "Take a look at this."
"What's this?"
"Another possibility."
Damien naturally wouldn't reveal the original storyline to Rimuru.
It wasn't about secrecy... it was unnecessary.
This world's Rimuru was already a completely different person from the original story's Rimuru.
Her life couldn't be judged by that standard.
So, what Damien showed Rimuru was what could have happened if he hadn't acted first.
If, naively hoping for peace, he'd welcomed the soldiers into the Demon Lord's castle, the consequences that might have followed.
"!!!"
The images flashing through her mind made Rimuru's killing intent impossible to suppress!
---
"Hahaha!"
"This is just too perfect, old man!"
On the other side, Shogo and the others in the Falmuth group were oblivious to the terrifying beast they'd unleashed with their actions.
They were cheering, celebrating their escape from the misty forest's trap with such a simple method.
Now before them stretched an endless plain.
The air was clear, free of any haze.
Clearly, the strange suppression existed only within the forest.
Once outside, all negative effects vanished.
"Hah."
Razen praised, "This time, we owe it to Kyoya and Shogo for coming up with such a brilliant plan."
The idea to set the fire had been Kyoya's.
And Shogo had carried it out.
Ironically, Razen, a native, lacked the nerve to provoke the Dryads, guardians of the forest.
Yet these otherworlders, who should've been educated and morally grounded, committed such a reckless act without hesitation.
What delighted Razen was that, despite setting the fire, the legendary Dryads hadn't appeared.
Of course, if they had, Razen could always throw the three under the bus as scapegoats.
No matter what, Razen always had a way to protect himself.
"Wait a second..."
Suddenly, Razen noticed something off.
The fire in the forest seemed to have been extinguished far too quickly.
Almost as if someone had put it out in time.
'Dryads?'
Razen's heart sank, a bad feeling creeping in.
"Who are you?"
"Human?"
"Why are there humans here? Adventurers?"
"..."
While Razen grew uneasy and the three otherworlders remained elated, the soldiers behind them erupted in surprised murmurs.
***
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