The Reincarnations of Veldanava

A Sword and a Scales

Stepping out of a wolf-drawn carriage, Testarossa had quite a high hope for Humans. She hoped that they had learned from the last meeting.

Next to her was Dino, the Demon Lord. He said that he came here because of his own interest. Yet Testarossa argued that he had an ulterior motive, she just didn't know what his motive was.

"You must be Testarossa-dono." A man approached them with respect; they ought to do so after their recent blunder. "And for this person, uh..."

The man eyed Dino. He recalled that in the last meeting, Testarossa had only brought a boy as her bodyguard. Not knowing what the boy, Moss, was capable of, they thought that she was arrogant and proud of her abilities to the point that she didn't need protectors.

'Considering what Prince Elric did the last time, I am not surprised that Demon Lord Rimuru will want his delegate to be protected properly,' the man thought, and it made sense to him that way.

"My name's Dino. I'm a swordsman."

'Dino?' For a few seconds, the man had a shocked expression, but he calmed himself down. His name did resemble a member of the Octagram, but there was no reason to think he was the real deal.

And it was only logical for him to think so. Although the Council knew almost nothing about Demon Lord Dino, it made no sense for him to accompany Testarossa, an underling of another Demon Lord.

Even among the Octagram, there must have been some tension, and an explicit act of lower status would not go unnoticed by other Demon Lords. 'Clearly, this young man cannot be Dino the Sleeping Ruler.'

"I see. You must have a difficult time sharing a name with one of the Demon Lords. My name's Johann." He, Johann Rostia, shook hands with Dino while wearing a fake smile.

"Nice to meet you, I guess." Dino made the right decision to conceal his presence and hide his wings. Even a powerful mage couldn't see through his disguise, let alone a man who knew a fair few magic like Johann.

For the sake of his mission, it would be better to not make himself stand out, thus he had chosen to call himself a swordsman, as if he was meant to be Testarossa's bodyguard.

"Let me guide you to the venue."

"That would be helpful, Johann-dono," Testarossa said. Belying her cruel nature that was appropriated for one of the rulers of hell to have, she gave Johann an elegant smile.

Johann Rostia, one of the Five Elders, had an opportunity to see Testarossa in action before. But instead of learning from Elric and Gaban's failure, he believed that he could take out this evil woman.

Demon Lord Rimuru, the man who was known for his power as part of the Octagram, had chosen her to be his proxy, so Johann had no doubt that Testarossa was capable enough to defend herself.

But the presence of a swordsman also suggested that she wasn't that much powerful on her own, or else why would she have that man accompany her in the first place?

The swordsman himself looked Human. A lethargic one, but a Human nonetheless. The conclusion popped into Johann's mind. These two might be strong, but they would not hold a candle against that Lord.

Humans often got blinded by ambition of their own, and that was unfortunate.

Before entering the venue, Johann had informed both of them that weapons weren't allowed. They had to leave it outside.

"You have nothing to worry about. Be it mundane or rare weapons, the council will be mindful of your belongings."

"Ahh, speaking of which, I don't have a sword with me," Dino said with a lazy yawn.