Politics and Worldbuilding in That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime Season 2 (2024)

“Vula m’lomo”, meaning “to open the mouth”, is a concept South Africans are quite well-versed in. While they may be the only people to call it that, every society around the world is familiar with the presentation of alcohol as a gift or a symbol of open negotiations – hence “open mouth”. Rimuru Tempest uses his Great Sage to concoct a spirit that is popular in his world of origin: brandy.

Using apples, Rimuru creates a smooth and tasty brandy that he knows he likes, but in this world, where brandy is a Rimuru invention, the tastebuds of the uninitiated explode with delight. Seeing how popular his alcohol is within his close circle, Rimuru decides to make barrels of the stuff in anticipation of the band of Eurazanian diplomats and later takes some with him to Dwargon. King Gazel Dwargo of Dwargon claims that the brandy made by Rimuru is far better than any alcohol he has imported from the human Kingdom of Falmuth.

In the second season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime, Tempest is creating alliances with neighbouring countries. One of these powers is the human Kingdom of Blumund, which has signed a security pact with Tempest that makes them allies if either of them is engaged in war, the other being the aforementioned Eurazania. However, with the increased presence of the Jura Tempest Federation on the world map, other powers have become more guarded at the premise of a powerful nation of monsters, one that boasts a better quality of life than them.

This includes the human Kingdom of Falmuth, which has experienced a financial downturn as a result of Tempest’s prosperity; and the mysterious Demon Lord Clayman, who has a bone to pick with Rimuru. Clayman sends a powerful wizard named Myulan to infiltrate Tempest and compromise the nation’s security from the inside. Myulan has been watching Rimuru for Clayman for a long time, not out of fealty to him, but because he promises to return her heart to her once she completes all the tasks he assigns to her.

Falmuth, on the other hand, is home to the Western Holy Church, which has deemed Tempest “an enemy of God” despite recognising that Tempest has caused no harm yet. However, if a citizen of Falmuth were to be harmed by a monster from Tempest, the nation would have to intervene. Using this premise, the Kingdom of Falmuth sends three Japanese summoned warriors backed up by 100 knights to start a commotion in Tempest.

During the start of the commotion between Falmuth and Tempest, Albis of Eurazania pleads with Benimaru, Rigurd, and company for the nation of Tempest to take in refugees from Eurazania. This is due to the kingdom preparing for war against none other than the Demon Lord Milim. After attacking Tempest first, the three summons of Falmuth pretend to be on the receiving end of the violence once the army of knights arrives, inciting holy war just as the higher-ups planned. They erect a large barrier that weakens monsters over the entire nation, while Myulan erects one of her own which makes it impossible for the forces of Tempest to communicate with Rimuru. Souei manages to track down Rimuru to alert him about the impending danger, but it is too late.

Enter the mystery assassin sent to kill Rimuru Tempest! Chief Knight of the Imperial Guard and Captain of the Holy Knights of the Holy Empire of Ruberios, Sakaguchi Hinata, someone who was once a student of Shizu herself! Rimuru hears her name and instantly discerns her Japanese origins, telling her that he’s Japanese too, but Hinata doesn’t want to hear all that noise, she’s there to fight!