That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime Season 3: A Plot to Avenge A Demon Lord

The following contains spoilers for That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Season 3, Episode 2, "The Saint's Intentions", available on Crunchyroll.

The second episode of the third season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is another set-up for the season's major events as two different factions discuss the way forward during a time of grief. Demon Lord Clayman's subordinates grapple with the reality of their lord's demise.

They begin coming up with some kind of plan to avenge him, while the Western Holy Church's highest-ranked knight reveals her true affiliation to Lady Luminus, the vampire Demon Lord, who's also coming up with a plan to deal with the new threat – Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest.

The Aftermath of Clayman's Death

A Plot To Avenge A Demon Lord

Kagali, the current form of the being who was once known as the Demon Lord Kazalim, can sense through her connection to her son, Clayman, that his soul has disappeared, indicating a true death. His subordinates all lament their inability to adequately protect him, but they're relieved that Laplace is alive after his clash against the Demon Lord Valentine. According to Laplace, his survival is because he's smarter than the deceased, who got too cocky, incurring the wrath of Footman, who struggles to believe the news. Since they didn't get much information about Valentine, they don't exactly know what happened at Walpurgis. With their emotions settled, Laplace, Kagali, Footman, Tear and Yuuki Kagurazaka decide it's best to lie low, because Yuuki is thinking of setting a trap for the leader of Tempest.

Where Hinata Sakaguchi's True Loyalty Lies

The Truth About The Church of Luminus

After Yuuki's ominous cryptic statement, Hinata Sakaguchi walks around the Holy Empire of Lubelius, recounting how this country was able to achieve relative equality through entrusting all of its affairs to the god known as Luminus, who is actually the Demon Lord Luminus Valentine – the only person who has ever bested Sakaguchi in combat. This is the first time we are able to see more of Sakaguchi's personality and memories from a first-person perspective, and like Rimuru, her relationship with her master, Shizu, continues to affect how she moves in the world. She recalls her rapid ascent to the top of the Holy Knights of the Western Holy Church within two years. As she rose in rank, she came to see the truth behind the church, learning that the Holy Emperor of Lubelius is Louis Valentine, the twin brother of Demon Lord Roy Valentine.

In the past, Sakaguchi had attempted to defeat the twins but could only manage to kill one and gravely injure the other. As she collapsed, defeated, a third vampire appeared and healed the brothers, who were actually just the retainers of this entity known as Lady Luminus – the true "deity" behind the Western Holy Church. She was given a week to overcome the Trials of the Seven Luminaries, after which, the true Luminus would face her in earnest; however, Sakaguchi was defeated. After learning that vampires do not kill their prey and can sustain themselves on minimal amounts of blood, and that happier people produce better-tasting blood, Sakaguchi became an underling of Lady Luminus, who even forbids vampires from taking large amounts of life energy from their meals. Seeing how order and fairness have persisted in Lubelius for far longer than any western state, Sakaguchi devoted herself to protecting this utopia – and Lady Luminus.

Grief In Multiple Camps

Lady Luminus's Plot

After an intruder entered their castle, Roy Valentine was killed shortly after coming back from Walpurgis, and even if it was a false title, Sakaguchi notes that Laplace was strong enough to kill a Demon Lord. Louis wants to keep Roy's death under wraps so that it doesn't shake up the faith of the pious. He also knows that Hinata's failure to kill Rimuru and destroy Tempest will cause her to mobilize "the angels" – the other Great Saints. He thinks this is an advantageous position as it may lead to the Western Nations taking on Rimuru as a common enemy, and because they intend to win the next Great Tenma War, the additional time taken to execute their plans may actually be far more beneficial than if Hinata had succeeded in killing Rimuru in their previous encounter.

Having learned of Roy's death, Luminus tells Hinata to lay off the attempts on Rimuru's life, especially now that Veldora has returned. She believes that she'd be able to slay the dragon; however, that's not their agenda at the moment. The existence of Tempest undermines the fundamental teaching in the Church of Luminus, which is that humans and monsters are opposite beings and cannot coexist; however, they are not in a position to do anything with Veldora back in action and Rimuru maintaining stability in the Great Forest of Jura. Like with Laplace and his cohort, Luminus and her allies try to figure out a way forward, and it seems that forming a political relationship with the slime may be their best move at the moment.

The Fate of the Kingdom Hangs in The Balance

King Edamaris of Falmuth Wants to Pay Reparations

Now restored to his original form, and secretly aligned to Diablo, King Edamaris of Falmuth acts as one would expect of a responsible king. Presented with three choices, Edamaris opts to pay reparations for the attack on Tempest and abdicate the throne; however, the nobles don't initially understand the position that Falmuth is in. They look for possible ways to get rid of Rimuru, but when Edamaris explains his relationship to Veldora, who is referred to as "the very embodiment of natural energy", they start to realize that Edamaris is making a conscientious choice. He appoints his younger brother Edward as the new king, abdicates, and accepts the hefty fee of 10,000 stellar gold coins to settle the issue with Tempest, despite their protests.

On the other hand, with Blumond, another human nation, issuing declarations of support for Tempest and condemnation of Falmuth. On top of that, the Falmuth nobles learn of Rimuru becoming a Demon Lord, the death of Clayman and the abdication of Carrion and Frey from Demon Lord status. With this, Edward hides an eerie smile of delight at the turn of events that makes him leader of the empire when he wasn't originally next in line. A few nobles support Edamaris's decision, leading to the historical agreement between Falmuth and Tempest to end hostilities, meaning that the Kingdom of Falmuth recognizes Tempest's – a nation of monsters' – sovereignty. The focus on the political ramifications of the events that took place last season has been very enjoyable so far, and the third season of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime is definitely off to a good start.