The Reincarnations of Veldanava

A Colloquy Between the Dwarf and the Dragon

Rimuru's affection for Luminous was real. He considered her a daughter even though she wasn't really his. He didn't make her; Twilight did, and that guy was like a son to him. Her pedigree would make her his granddaughter, if anything.

Yet the divine family tree was a fascinating sight. Although the root of this tree had only a single trueborn.

Some had been existing ever since time out of mind, and some weren't even a year old yet. Despite her confirmed patricide and cannibalism, Luminous wasn't even the strangest case in his family tree.

It was endearing when she sought him out for advice, and he was glad to help her with anything. This time was no different.

"Thank you again for your aid, Father. I will leave now. You seem to have difficult guests ahead of you," Luminous giggled as if amused. She knew the kind of man her father was and knew that he would somehow pull through. He always did.

She bid him farewell and left with Hinata, who was in a better mood now that she wouldn't be randomly put in a maid outfit anymore.

The main entrance was packed with people, mainly journalists. Other gates weren't much better. Luminous hated attention. She could freely bathe in sunlight, but the limelight annoyed her.

There was nothing she loved more than her privacy. From the farthest west to the farthest east, everyone had heard of Ruminas the Goddess, but only a few had heard of anything about Luminous the Demon Lord beyond the name.

She preferred shrouding herself in darkness and shadows, commanding her underlings via her proxies.

"Aren't there any exits that have no people crowding about?"

"I suppose not, Luminous-sama," her paladin answered. "I can make them part if you want." Her hand went to rest at the hilt of her weapon. Hinata had a fearsome reputation. People praised her efficiency upfront but called her a witch and a vixen behind her back. She mostly ignored those remarks, yet she didn't mind abusing it when convenient.

If she held up a rapier, people would listen. They liked to say she had ice where a heart should be, and there wouldn't be anyone daring enough to test the rumor's validity.

But before the two could reach any conclusion, the conclusion made itself, or rather himself, known.

"Make way at once! The king has arrived!" A booming, commanding voice rang, its authority evident. There where the crowd used to be stood a man clad in armor bearing two pegasuses straddling before a sword—Dwargon's sigil.

The voice belonged to Dorf, the Commander of the Pegasus Knights. A dwarf he was, yet he stood shoulder to shoulder with Man. Rows upon rows of knights dismounted from their steads.

Rushed came bannermen, barring both sides of the path toward the way in, making sure no fool would get in their king's way. They were dwarves; stoutness flowed through their veins. They made not even an inch of movement.

"Impressively trained men," Hinata made a remark as she observed from one of the windows. If only she could whip up a crusader half as impressive.

She had been training new recruits using the dungeon, but she had yet to get a result she was satisfied with. Some men weren't as chivalrous as they would like to believe, dropping their weapons and stiffening in place when monsters larger than them appeared.

Training Man ought to be difficult; they feared death even though they had been promised safety. Dwarves, she had heard, had a hardy heart, like a chiseled stone shaped like a heart rather than flesh and blood.

She didn't know how true such a rumor was, but the dwarven soldiers' stoutness was proof enough.

Then came their king. A towering man, one you wouldn't know was a dwarf from just a look, came forward. When he came into view, all noises ceased save for only that of his steps and the clangor his armor made.