Three years. Three years since Rimuru City declared its independence. Three years of relentless labor, guided by my Divine Blueprint. The walls, the magnificent Theodosian Walls, now stood nearly complete, a formidable testament to our defiance. Our fields bloomed, our lake thrived, and the rhythmic hum of rudimentary steam engines echoed from Johnson and Johny's workshops. The mana stone, refined into pure mana crystals, flowed through Steve and Marlow's covert trade networks, bringing in wealth and vital resources. My calculated peace had held, primarily because our enemies, the noble houses and King Leo, seemed content to simply observe, perhaps waiting for us to collapse under our own ambition. But I knew better. The vanishing Bellwether caravan was a grim reminder of their unseen claws.
"Your Majesty," Steve announced one morning, his shrewd eyes narrowed. "More reports. Small merchant caravans, not Bellwether, trying to use our new mountain pass. They're testing the waters, hoping to bypass the King's tolls."
My blood ran cold. This was a critical vulnerability. Our new trade route was a lifeline, but it couldn't become a free-for-all. It had to be secure, exclusive to our trusted partners. "Feron," I stated, turning to my Minister of War. "Your City Guard, along with Asuna's defense forces, will patrol that pass. Make it clear: only authorized trade partners, with official Rimuru City permits, are allowed safe passage. Anyone else is to be turned away. If they resist, they are to be captured or… driven off." I didn't need to say more. Feron's brutal efficiency was well-known. "This route is for our benefit, and for those who choose to align with us. Not for opportunists."
Feron grinned, a flash of his old bandit ruthlessness in his eyes. "Consider it done, Your Majesty. No one will pass without your say-so." The word quickly spread. Rimuru City had teeth, and its new trade route was not to be trifled with. Unauthorized merchants soon learned to give the mountain pass a wide berth, solidifying our control and signaling our seriousness to the wider world.
Life in Rimuru City found a rhythm. The villagers, now citizens, lived with a freedom and prosperity they hadn't known in generations. Our population swelled, not just from natural growth, but from a new, unexpected influx.
One somber evening, a breathless messenger from the outer patrols arrived. "Your Majesty! Three villages… nearby, just across the western border. Burned. Bandits. They're gone."
My heart clenched. Bandits? Or something more? The news sent a chill through me. Three innocent villages, reduced to ash. And then, the refugees came. Waves of them. Families, gaunt and terrified, streamed towards Rimuru City, their eyes wide with desperate hope. They were from the villages of Oakhaven, Greenleaf, and Stonebrook, small communities that bordered Rimuru, technically under the distant rule of two different, minor kingdoms.
Miles, ever compassionate, looked at me, his face pleading. "Shouyo, we must help them. They have nowhere else to go."
"I know, Miles," I said, my mind racing. This was a political minefield. Accepting refugees from other kingdoms could be seen as an act of aggression, a provocation. It could drag us into conflicts we weren't yet ready for. But then, I remembered Yui. I remembered the suffering. And I remembered my own need. "How many?"
"Hundreds, Your Majesty. And more are coming."
Manpower. My city was growing, but we always needed more hands for the walls, for the mines, for the fields. This was a risk, but also an opportunity.
"Elara," I commanded, "prepare our medical facilities. Miles, organize housing. Feron, send patrols to assist their passage, and to confirm the destruction. We will accept them. All of them."
A collective sigh of relief, then quiet gratitude, rippled through the gathered citizens. They knew the risk, but compassion won out. I watched the refugees stream through our gates, their haunted eyes slowly widening at the sight of our mighty walls, our bustling streets, our well-fed citizens. They brought with them not just their desperation, but their skills, their resilience, and their numbers. Rimuru City absorbed them, strengthening our base, despite the political fallout it might inevitably cause with the bordering kingdoms.
Amidst the influx of refugees and the continued construction, a personal challenge arrived. Stanley, my Minister of Foreign Affairs, received a sealed letter, delivered by a solemn, imposing courier bearing the crest of House Valerius. Not Captain Valerius's mercenary insignia, but the true, noble House Valerius from the distant continent of Aeridor. The same family he belonged to.
Stanley read the letter in my study, his face unreadable. He remained silent for a long moment, then crumpled the parchment in his hand. "They want me back, Your Majesty," he said, his voice clipped. "They've heard whispers of Rimuru City. Of my position. They demand my immediate return to Aeridor. To fulfill my 'duty' to the family. To resume my proper place."
My gaze met his. I knew his family was powerful, influential. He had been a crucial asset, a bridge to understanding the wider world. Losing him would be a severe blow. "And your decision, Stanley?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral, but my heart hammered.
Stanley looked out the window, his gaze distant, lost in thought. I knew he loved his family, that his life had been one of privilege and expectation. But I also knew what he had seen here. The raw ambition, the pure ingenuity, the genuine hope we were building. "My family… they are steeped in tradition, in the old ways of power. They would see Rimuru City as a curiosity, perhaps a potential pawn. They would never understand what we are creating here. The true freedom, the true potential."
He turned back to me, his emerald eyes sharp, resolute. "Your Majesty, you saved my life. You showed me a purpose beyond the endless political maneuvering of noble courts. Here, I am building something real. Something that matters. My duty, my true duty, is here. With Rimuru City. With you." He took a deep breath. "I will not return. My family will consider me a traitor, a lost cause. But I choose Rimuru. I choose this future." His voice held a conviction that left no room for doubt.
A wave of relief washed over me. Stanley's loyalty was invaluable. His family's reaction would be another challenge, another complication, but one we would face when the time came.
The declaration of independence, the rapid growth, the secure trade route, and now, the bold acceptance of refugees from neighboring kingdoms – Rimuru City was undeniably making waves. And then, the first ripples of recognition arrived.
Delegations. Not from King Leo. Not from the hostile noble houses. But from some of the thirteen kingdoms connected by Kutsilyo's strategic location. The first were from the Sunstone Confederacy, a collection of smaller, independent states to the south, known for their powerful magic academies. Then, emissaries from the Northern Wildholds, hardy mountain kingdoms who valued strength and innovation. And finally, a diplomatic envoy from the prosperous Riverland Commonwealth, a mercantile alliance known for its vast trade fleets.
Their spies, more perceptive than King Leo's Customs Agents, had been silently observing Rimuru City for years. They had seen our walls rise, our fields flourish, our steam engines hum. They had witnessed the demise of Grimo and Valerius, and the chilling efficiency of the Kutsilyo Shadows. They knew we were not to be underestimated. They sought not to conquer, but to understand. To ally. To trade. To acquire our technology.
Miles, my Prime Minister, burst into my study, his face a mixture of excitement and caution. "Your Majesty! Delegates! From three different kingdoms! They seek audience. Alliances, trade routes… they even mentioned our… our 'advanced techniques'."
I leaned back in my chair, a slow, calculated smile spreading across my face. This was the moment I had been waiting for. The world was finally taking notice, and some of it, at least, saw an opportunity, not just a threat. This was our chance to break King Leo's monopoly, to build a network of allies that could stand against the encroaching noble houses. But I would be cautious. They wanted our technology. I would give it, but only at a price. A price measured not in gold, but in trust, in security, and in the recognition of Rimuru City as a true power. The game was escalating, but now, I held more cards than ever before. My move, in this grand chess match, would define our future.