Kingdom of Raja

The **Kingdom of Raja** ｢ラージャ小亜国, *rāja-shō akoku*｣ is a small nation ruled by Queen Towa, located west of the Jura Tempest Federation. It is the main setting of the movie Scarlet Bond in which it is infiltrated by Daemons. The nation is located on a strip of land surrounded by towering cliffs and numerous waterfalls that feed the lake neighboring the kingdom. It was founded by a gathering of those who escaped from oppression and is home to Humans, Demi-Humans, and Monsters.

## Background

Going back to its earliest days, Raja was the target of numerous threats. It was constantly met with pressure from attacks by the ferocious Monsters of the Jura Forest, as well as opportunistic human nations that desired cheap labor. As it lacked the status of a great nation like Dwargon, the pressure was more than it could handle. The queen at the time despaired at her people's predicament and desperately prayed for a breakthrough. To her surprise, her prayers were answered by the figure Violet and she was granted a special tiara that contained the latter's Magical Power. With this, she finally had the power to save her people.

The queen used the tiara to enrich her nation and aid the most vulnerable people in society, but she eventually paid the price for using the tiara and passed away, her Soul completely exhausted. The Cursed Poison embedded in her body from repeated use of the tiara passed down to her descendants. Despite the nation acquiring newfound wealth, the succeeding queens did not find it any easier to deal with the attacks aimed at them. The discovery of the gold mine dormant beneath the land caused the attacks to intensify, but through the power of the tiara, the nation nonetheless endured.

Raja was presented with its greatest trial when Lacua, a Daemon serving Violet, sought to curry favor with her by poisoning the nearby lake. Each time it was purified, the Cursed Poison would be periodically replenished by a magic circle hidden at the bottom of the lake. It grew stronger as time passed, progressing to where even the air around it was at risk of becoming toxic. Various generations of queens were forced to rely on the tiara more than ever to cope with this disaster, which serves as a central plot element of Scarlet Bond.

## Government

Raja is a traditional monarchy. Below Towa is the prime minister, and being the small nation that is, there is only one minister under him. Towa's approach to governing is an active, hands-on one that allows her to promptly respond to her people's concerns.

## Military

Raja's military is 2000 strong. The nation has shown to domesticate their own flock of Wyverns hinting at its potential for aerial combat. Hiiro is the strongest combatant within its ranks.

## Economy

Raja does not have any local specialty, nor is its food productivity very high. It relied on imports to support its population, paid for with the gold extracted from the local gold mine. After the mine became depleted, it was forced to look to the Jura Forest and its abundant resources as an alternative. Hiro was sent out to Tempest as a messenger and was able to strike an alliance with the rulers of the forest, earning Veldora's approval to cultivate the forest. Additionally, with Treyni's assistance, Raja's agricultural presence saw an increase, its people acquiring new knowledge of farming techniques.

During the fight between Benimaru and Hiiro, a cave collapsed exposing a vein of iron ore. The locals desired to repay Rimuru for their assistance in their hour of need but saw no promise in this discovery as iron was well known to not be very high in demand. To their shock, Rimuru waived these concerns away and offered to purchase this resource, making Tempest their primary trading partner in iron. Raja indirectly serves as a supplier of magisteel for Malukshure, with the magisteel being processed from their iron ore.

## Trivia

* Despite being introduced in the anime original movie Scarlet Bond, it is canon to the Light Novel by virtue of being referenced in the spin-off How to Spend a Certain Vacation which is directly written by Fuse and confirmed canon to the LN.

## References

1. ↑ *That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime* Light Novel (Spin-off): Interview with Violet
2. ↑ *That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime* Light Novel (Spin-off): How to Spend a Certain Vacation — , Chapter 10