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This place used to be Demon Lord Clayman's castle, right?
Yeah...
Great Rimuru, are the ruins inside the castle?
Of course not. There's an entrance on the other side of the castle.
Clayman's castle was built on top of the ancient ruins of Amrita.
What a view!
Isn't this exciting, Rimuru?!
Eyes forward! You're gonna hurt yourse—
I swear...
This is the entrance to the ruins of the underground capital Amrita.
We're finally here!
Yes.
Awesome!
So this is the ancient city of Amrita?
Amrita was modeled after a different city.
The Great Sorcerous Nation of Soma.
An ancient nation that once prospered as an Elven paradise.
But then...
the foolish actions of a handful of them angered the Dragon Princess,
and the paradise was reduced to a ruin overnight.
The fools who brought ruin upon their nation were cursed,
becoming Dark Elves,
and left to escape the Dragon Princess and seek a new land.
The old me was among them.
In the new land we escaped to,
we built a capital city
to ensure that Elven technology would not be lost
and that all of it would persist in a tangible form.
And that was the birth of...
Amrita, the capital of Puppet Nation Distave,
and the true form of the ancient ruins known as Amrita.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4
Episode 81: Investigating the Ruins
It looks less like a ruin...
...and more like a town.
I can't believe people still live here.
Right? I never imagined this!
The ruins' interior is divided into three levels.
We use the top level here as our residential quarters.
Um... I thought these ruins were underground.
Where's that light coming from?
It is a product of magic.
It is linked to the movements of the sun.
Incredible! Ancient magic is still being used as it once was?!
That alone is a major discovery!
Milim, once this investigation's over, this will be part of your domain,
but would you mind letting these people continue to live here?
All right, I will!
Thank you, Demon Lord Milim.
Don't mention it! You guys are my subjects, after all!
As long as you're all doing your part, everything's good!
This is the door leading to the central level.
Have investigations been conducted beyond the middle level?
No.
I've heard that there are graves in the bottom level,
but the only one who could open this door was Lord Clayman.
What? If no one can open it, how are we gonna investigate it?
Very naïve of you, Gobta.
Shion!
Leave it to me!
I will cut it down with a single slice!
You absolutely will not!
I see.
This is the work of ancient magic.
Trying to open it by force will awaken the city's defense mechanism.
So it's a trap to keep invaders out, huh?
Good thing you didn't cut it down.
W-Well, it's just some antique mechanism, right?
Right! I find it hard to believe the trap could still be active!
Oh, I think it is.
That light magic is still working after a thousand years, after all.
Shall we begin our analysis of the door, then?
I've never seen this spell before.
What if we put those bits together?
Right. Let's try it.
Hey, so Clayman was able to reach the middle level, right?
Did he have some connection to the ruins?
Hmm... Well, his rise to power was relatively recent.
I can't imagine him having a connection to any ancient ruins.
He must have undone the spell on this door.
I remember Clayman being a Demon Lord who specialized in such things.
Come to think of it, what kinds of abilities did he have?
Answer
Answer.
He possessed a unique skill called Manipulator.
Manipulator
It allowed him to read ley lines and control their flow.
Wait, so... since I consumed him, can I do that, too?
Naturally, yes.
This is going to take a while.
Well, might as well get settled in now.
Hey, mind if I take a look, too?
Demon Lord?
I get it.
All the magic spells layered on it make it look even more complex.
Broadly speaking, there are three magic spells on this door:
one put there to seal the door,
one that sends the energy flowing in from the ley lines throughout the wall,
and one that's a trap to prevent it from being opened by accident.
It's this trap that's the problem.
If it's activated, the energy from the ley lines will be cut off,
and the light shining on this level will go out.
Then, once it's fully dark, it diverts all that energy to removing the intruder.
And this is the newest magic spell on it.
Huh? There's something mixed in here that doesn't belong.
On my own, I'd have no hope of understanding this,
but with Raphael-sensei's help, it's just like solving a puzzle.
If I remove this and put the correct magic spell there...
It worked!
We just need to repeat that a few more times, and...
Uh...
Whoops!
This should be the team's job, but I was having so much fun, I couldn't stop...
Brilliant as always, Great Rimuru!
Yeah, you do get like this sometimes.
Damn! Even Gobta's letting me have it!
This is incredible.
Yeah... Such a complicated magic spell, and he just...
Sorry about that. I didn't mean to steal your thunder...
What are you talking about?!
Yeah!
For something that cool, why wouldn't you steal our thunder?!
Yeah! Yeah!
So how did you analyze that?!
Please tell us, Great Demon Lord!
So this pattern here was obstructing it?
I see! So that's it!
They really are pros.
They put their inquisitiveness and thirst for knowledge ahead of their pride.
I just taught them the bare minimum, and they caught on right away.
They all opened!
Well, c'mon! Let's get going, Rimuru!
Yeah.
At least, that's what I'd like to say...
but it's already getting dark.
Let's save the real investigation for tomorrow.
It really is linked with the surface.
What do you think, Milim? Was anyone on the team acting shady?
No, I didn't notice anything.
What about Kagali-san?
Did she try to make outside contact or anything?
Nope.
If she'd used Thought Communication or a magic call, I would've known.
So I guess all the people on the team are in the clear.
Notice.
That cannot be said for certain.
If their Soul Corridors connect them,
they can build secret lines of communication.
I guess we can't rest easy just yet.
Well, anyway, I guess it's time for bed.
What?! But I'm so excited for tomorrow, I'll never get to sleep!
You think this is a field trip?!
Standing Guard
It worked.
Well done!
The air in here suddenly feels a lot more oppressive.
It feels a bit like the dungeon in Tempest.
I keep checking with Magic Sense, but it's like a maze.
Maybe the middle level itself is a mechanism to deter intruders.
Wow!
This mural seems to depict how the people lived back then.
It's in great condition.
This alone has value as a work of art.
Makes you think, doesn't it?
We're making contact with the kind of ancient civilization
that we've only ever heard of in fairy tales.
When you put it that way...
it reminds me a bit of the past.
That's right.
Milim awakened as a Demon Lord after her baby dragon friend was killed.
To us, it was so long ago that it might as well be a fairy tale,
but to Milim, it's a real memory.
Milim.
Aren't you hungry? Let's have lunch.
I'm in!
Right, let's eat.
But how are we going to get fire?
Um...
If you want lunch...
I had the elder of the Dark Elves to pack lunches for us!
Hang on! This soup is piping hot!
This isn't dried meat!
It's delicious!
But... where were you carrying all this?
Oh, don't worry about that.
I had it stored in my belly...
but if I tell them that and they get the wrong idea, they'll lose their appetites.
I never imagined I'd get to eat such fine food inside these ruins.
The truth is, I didn't want to use fire in here.
Oh... Why not?
Well, there's the safety aspect,
but mostly, I didn't want to get soot all over the ancient people's legacy.
I'd like to preserve this as much as possible.
I see...
I'd love to learn from your example.
After that, we got into the real investigation of the middle level.
The investigative team really is an inquisitive bunch.
When I talked to them about
the maze-like layout of the middle level and strategies for conquering our dungeon,
they really latched on.
Thanks to that, we were able to map out the area,
and completing our passage through the middle level was a piece of cake.
Then, on the third day of our investigation,
we reached the door leading to the bottom level.
It's the same mechanism as the one on the top level,
but the magic spells are different.
I don't want to spring a trap after we've come this far.
Let's take our time inspecting it.
Everyone, how about a little break?
Oh, thank you!
We finally made it to the bottom level.
No, based on how those magic spells are laid out...
I kept my guard up just in case, but no one seems suspicious.
If anyone was going to try anything, I'd think they'd do it soon...
Maybe they're letting it go this time since Milim's here?
You're really going to do this?
There's no time to be picky about the method.
All the necessary steps to curb
Demon Lord Rimuru's power have been taken.
It was sealed away so long ago,
yet it still overflows with hatred even now.
In which case...
Wh-What's that?!
Is it an earthquake?
No, this is...
Now, rampage as your greed directs you.
What could that have been?
I have a bad feeling about this...
It felt like a massive energy response just blew across the surface.
Intruders to Amrita detected.
Eliminate.
Intruders to Amrita detected.
Eliminate.
The defense mechanism activated itself?!
Notice.
Antagonistic response detected.
There is an intruder in the ruins.
So they really were just waiting for the right time!
Milim, do you feel any—
Milim?
Rimuru, I'm sorry.
Something just came up.
Milim!
What in the world...
Wait a minute! That's...
Notice.
It is the ancient dragon that Demon Lord Milim sealed long ago,
the Chaos Dragon.
Great Rimuru!
Golems!
Let us handle these guys!
Ranga!
Right!
This isn't gonna get us anywhere!
Everyone inside! Hurry!
It happened so quickly...
You guys, stand down for now!
Got it!
So this is... the bottom level...
Great Rimuru!
They're chasing us!
Get further inside, everyone!
I really wasn't expecting them to summon the Chaos Dragon.
The Chaos Dragon?!
That tyrant, in this day and age?!
Yeah. I think Milim went to try to stop it.
Are they trying to isolate me at the risk of angering Milim?
I guess they're really willing to do anything.
Sorry to get you involved in this.
It seems you have a lot of enemies, Lord Rimuru.
It sure isn't what I wanted, though.
The Kingdom of Falmuth, Demon Lord Clayman, Hinata the Saint...
It's always the other party coming after me.
All I did was play along.
Is there a solution that doesn't rely on military might?
It's possible if one side or the other caves.
But I'm sure they have their own cause they want to fight for,
and I can't back down, either.
It'd mean bringing my friends from Tempest down with me.
Looks like we took 'em all out.
But if we look for a way to improve relations, maybe we can avoid fighting...
That's impossible.
Just impossible.
The greed of man is endless.
If his opponent gives in, his demands grow even greater.
That's how humans work.
Seems we think alike. I'm Demon Lord Rimuru.
Pleasure to meet you, Demon Lord Rimuru.
I am Maribel Rozzo, your enemy.
Enemy, huh?
There's one thing I want to try. Is that okay?
What might that be?
Work for me.
Do that and we can avoid any unnecessary fighting.
That's exactly what I should say to you.
It is you who should work for me.
Your policies and mine aren't compatible.
Your methods mean many of your people have to suffer
for the sake of protecting a few.
For the weak to be bled dry is nature's way.
Isn't it survival of the fittest among monsters, too?
True.
But the thing is, I hate that idea.
Sure, there may be some who are hopeless no matter what,
but someone's worth isn't something you can just toss out so easily.
People have limitless potential.
But the way you do things doesn't give them even a single chance.
Don't you think that's wasteful?
That's absurd. Just absurd.
There are differences between people from the moment they're born.
That is absolutely a matter of course.
The idea that everyone should be equal is either a child's idealism
or the wish of those who have nothing.
I never imagined a Demon Lord would be such a dreamer.
Let me teach you what reality is.
Grandmaster Yuuki?!
It can't be... But why?
Grandmaster Yuuki! You betrayed us?!
No choice now. Let's decide once and for all which of us is right.
Raphael.
Understood.
Shifting to all-out combat mode.
Maybe there'll never be a day when all people understand one another.
But that in itself is testimony to the diversity of mankind.
We're beings that contradict ourselves as part of evolving.
And only the one who wins here
will be able to claim that as what's right.
Next time, "The Master of Greed."
The Master of Greed