"So aggressive?"
Rimuru's figure slowly emerged.
However, the moment she appeared, the thick smell of smoke hit her, and her face twisted in disgust.
In front of her, blazing flames burned fiercely. The ground was littered with the charred remains of countless animals.
"How awful."
By the time she and Treyni arrived, Doris and Trya had already responded.
They immediately extinguished the forest fire.
But even so, what remained was scorched earth and the mangled corpses of animals and monsters alike.
No wonder Rin was so angry. They had gone too far.
No, perhaps in their eyes, this forest that did not belong to them was meaningless.
Burn it. Burn the creatures inside. Destroy the ecosystem.
Even if it meant poisoning, spreading disease, or using even more despicable methods.
As long as they could win, anything was acceptable.
"Kingdom of Falmuth, huh."
Rimuru activated the power of the Lord of Wisdom.
She listened to the thoughts of the human soldiers. And the little pity she had for humans eroded bit by bit.
If it had only been setting fire to the forest, while Rimuru wouldn't approve, she could understand that war showed no mercy.
However, what she heard from their thoughts...
These people were not just planning to attack the Monster Nation.
They intended to carry out an indiscriminate massacre.
Whether old, young, women, or children.
Everyone must die.
Only by doing this could they ensure that these lowly monsters would never again dare to interfere with the nobles' feast.
"All just to maintain the so-called nobility's prestige, and they go this far?"
"The so-called high-ranking officials and nobles of the Western Nations," Rimuru muttered coldly, "are not worthy of being called human."
They never even considered communicating with the monsters in the forest, never thought about negotiating peacefully.
No.
In the eyes of the nobles, how could monsters, such humble creatures, possibly deserve to sit at the same table as them?
They were monsters wearing human skin.
Death and subjugation were the only futures the nobles were willing to give them.
"So, you already expected this?"
Rimuru had wondered earlier why Rin had immediately talked about destroying the Kingdom of Falmuth.
There were clearly better, more peaceful ways to deal with this.
But now, she understood.
Those people had never treated the monsters as equals.
"Forget it."
Rimuru slowly closed her eyes. Her thoughts turned to the straightforward Oni and Starfang wolves.
Whether one was human or not had nothing to do with race or bloodline.
As long as they had hearts and emotions, that was enough to be human.
And to protect those behind her, to give them happy, fulfilling lives, Rimuru no longer minded becoming the one holding the butcher's knife.
"Have you made your decision?"
Rin's voice echoed in her ears.
"Yeah."
Rimuru said, "Isn't this why you brought me here?"
Rin nodded. It was true. He had treated this operation as Rimuru's trial.
"No need to worry."
Rimuru could feel Rin's guilt. She shook her head slightly.
"You let me see this world for what it is. And I really do need to make my choice."
Unlike other monsters, Rimuru had once been human, with a clear sense of morality.
But after reincarnating into this world, she had started a new life.
And she finally understood one truth.
That is, as a person, you must choose your position.
Are you human or are you monster?
When Rimuru opened her eyes again, her golden pupils held only firm resolve and killing intent.
"Everyone in the Monster Nation is my companion."
"Is that so."
Rin spoke as he shared a memory with Rimuru.
"Take a look at this."
"This is...?"
"Another possibility."
Rin naturally did not explain that it was the original storyline.
Not because he was afraid to reveal it, but because there was no need.
The Rimuru of this world and the Demon Lord from the original work were already completely different people.
That life had no relevance to her.
So what Rin showed her instead was a potential scenario.
One where she naively welcomed the enemy soldiers into the castle, believing peace could be achieved.
"!!!"
As she witnessed the unfolding images within her mind, Rimuru's killing intent could no longer be restrained.
"Hahaha!"
"That was awesome, old man!"
On the other side, Shogo and the rest of the Kingdom of Falmuth's force had no idea what sort of terrifying beast their actions had just awakened.
They were laughing, celebrating their successful escape from the forest's misty confinement with such a simple method.
In front of them stretched a vast wilderness.
The sky and earth were clear, the mist nowhere in sight.
The strange suppression had vanished the moment they exited the forest.
All negative statuses had been lifted.
"Ah."
Razen praised them. "This time, it's all thanks to you, Kyoya and Shogo. That idea was brilliant."
The plan to start the fire had come from Kyoya.
Shogo had executed it.
The irony was laughable.
Razen, a native of this world, had never dared to provoke the Dryads, the forest's guardians.
Yet it was the Otherworlders from modern society, supposedly educated and taught proper morals, who had acted without restraint or conscience.
What made Razen happiest was that, even though they had committed arson, the legendary Dryads still had not appeared.
Of course, if they did show up, he could just push the three Otherworlders forward to take the fall.
Whatever happened, Razen would always find a way to protect himself.
"Wait a second..."
Suddenly, Razen noticed something.
The forest fire had gone out too quickly.
Almost unnaturally fast.
As if someone had put it out deliberately.
Dryads?
His heart skipped a beat. A strange premonition gnawed at him.
"Who are you?"
"Humans?"
"Why are there humans here? Are they adventurers?"
Leaving behind the increasingly uneasy Razen and the overly cheerful trio of Otherworlders.
The soldiers in the back began to exclaim in surprise.
(To be continued.)