A/N: Well it's been a minute but I managed to get another chapter out. I started this chapter a day ago and managed to finish the next day so I think it's safe to say that I'm still feeling good about writing chapters for this work. I hope you guys enjoy this one and I'll try my best to get the next one out when I can. Thanks for reading.
"Hey..." A voice echoed inside of your mind, but you paid it no mind. "Heyyy...!" The voice grew louder and seemed a bit more annoyed, but you remained silent. "HEY! HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO LOUNGE AROUND WITH THESE ELF GIRLS?!!?" Your mother's voice whined in your head as your eye began to twitch in annoyance.
"THIS IS COULD BE THE LAST TIME I GET TO DO THIS!! LET ME HAVE THIS!!" You yelled back at your mother in your head before a gentle hand slid under your chin.
"Fufufu~ Does baby want more drink~?" The elf girl giggled in a sultry tone as you let out a low blissful bellow.
"Mhmm..." You hummed as she put the bottle of alcohol up for you to drink from as you happily sucked down the strong drink.
"Jeez, I'm not being like this because I wanna be the one doing that to you...Well, I do wanna be the one to feed you, but that's beside the point! I just can't stand seeing the last living Gojira infant sucking on a bottle from a measly elf girl! Have more pride in your own kind!" Your mother scolded you.
"It can't be helped! I'm an infant after all and I don't think anyone else except Rimuru knows what kind of lizard I am! Also, I went my entire past life without being coddled by hot women! I will NOT let this chance slip away!" You yelled back at your mother in your mind.
"...You know you can't even impregnate them, right?" Your mother said as your face exploded into a dark red hue.
"H-HUH!??! WHY WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING SO WEIRD LIKE THAT!?" You suddenly shot up and yelled out loud as everyone turned and looked at you strangely, especially the dark elf who was feeding you.
"H-Huh? Did I say something weird?" The dark elf asked as you felt even more mortified from letting that slip out of your mouth.
"EH? N-No! I just had a strange thought that I wanna forget! Don't worry! Don't worry!" You tried to awkwardly laugh it off.
"Fufufu~" You raised your brow when all the elf girls began giggling. "Heeeh~? You had a strange thought? Were they perhaps lewd thoughts~?" One of the blonde elfs asked with a giggle.
"Well, you can't blame him, being surrounded by such pretty ladies~" The dark elf said as she pet you under the chin.
"Ahahahaha!!!" You and the others were surprised by the sudden laughter and turned to see it coming from Kaijin who had a mug of alcohol raised with joy.
"What?! Are you laughing at me?!" You asked in an angered tone while the embarrassed red hue remained on your face.
"Ahahaha!! N-No, I'm not! Man, that sure threw me for a loop!" Kaijin said as you and Rimuru stared at him in confusion. "I busted my ass to make that sword, and you made all those copies in seconds!" He said as you two realized the irony he was talking about and calmed down.
"Only because the original you made was so incredible. All I did was analyze it and use that magisteel cluster to copy it." Rimuru said in a humble tone as Kaijin was staring closely at the slime who was resting in an elf girl's lap and Rimuru began to second guess himself. "Was I out of line?" He asked as you and the other dwarves looked to Kaijin as he seemed to think for a few moments.
"If I'm being honest, it is a little vexing..." Kaijin admitted before he suddenly raised his mug up to Rimuru to the center of your group. "But next time, I'll make one so amazing that even you won't be able to copy! I relish the challenge!" He said with excitement as he downed the drink in his hand.
"That's the spirit!" Rimuru said as he held his cup out. "Refill, please!" He asked nicely as the owner of the club walked over with a fresh bottle.
"Me too, please! I don't know why...but this stuff ain't getting me to the level of drunk I want to feel." You said while setting down your third bottle of alcohol on the table as the dark elf brought another one up and began feeding you the drink once more.
"I'm a bit curious to how much you can handle, little lizard, but can you even taste this, little slime?" The owner said as she leaned down to refill his mug.
"I can't, but any drink is delicious if a pretty lady pours it for me!" Rimuru said as this pleased the owner.
"Oh, very smooth! Here you go." The boss elf said as she happily poured Rimuru another cup.
"Hey, a nice change of pace, don't you think?" Rimuru heard your thoughts as you communicated to him with your mind Thought Communication. "I remember you were always the one having to entertain and pour drinks out for others." You reminded him of his past duties to others as he relaxed in the lap of the elf he was positioned upon.
"Right? Ah, this is paradise!" Rimuru replied in relaxation as the two of you indulged in the blessings you were receiving, mainly the amount of hot elf women babying the two of you.
"Hey, you two!" The dark elf who was feeding you drinks spoke up as you and Rimuru looked to her. "Would you like to try this?" She asked as she began to do strange gentle movements in the air with her hands. "I'm very good at it. Everyone says I'm pretty amazing, in fact." She asked as you two were confused, but there's one thing you could tell from this situation...
"I'm first." You said while your head shot up with a serious look on your face as Rimuru looked at you in shock.
"Huh!?! What are you talking about?! And why do you go first?!" Rimuru asked as you turned back and glared at him.
"Why wouldn't I call first dibs!?! Obviously she's talking about that legend that we've both heard about!" You yelled back at him with excited steam huffing out your nostrils, as the two of you could only think about the erotic, lewd, unspoken acts she could suggesting towards, and you both let your minds wander into the gutter.
"Why you...?!" Rimuru suddenly bounced onto your head and tried to grab you wit his little stubby slime appendages as you two bickered over who'd get to do the erotic things first with the elf.
"You two!" The dark elf suddenly spoke up as you held Rimuru in your hands as he spread your lips apart with his little hands and you two froze to look at the dark elf. "Are you ready?" She asked as you two looked down to see a crystal ball in her hands.
"Oh. She meant fortunetelling." You both thought in slight sadness as you returned Rimuru to his elf while you laid your head on the dark elf's lap. "So what kind of reading can you do?" Rimuru asked.
"Hmmmm, well...What would you like?" The dark elf asked as Rimuru didn't know about what he wanted to find out either.
"How about the person he's destined to be with?" The blonde elf holding him suggested as this piqued the interest of everyone in the group.
"Oh, good idea!" The dark elf said as everyone gathered around for the fortunetelling session. "Okay, here I go." The dark elf said as she held her hands over the blue orb and waved them around trying to see what lied beyond. "Ehhhh~? What's this? I can't see anything." She said with a teasing smile as Rimuru was the one she hovered her hands over, not the crystal ball.
"Ahahahahaha!" You all burst out into laughter over her little joke as Rimuru sat on the table a little annoyed by this joke.
"I'm just kidding." The dark elf said in a teasing tone.
"You're so silly, Mr. Slime!" One of the blonde elf's said.
"Huh? Me?" Rimuru said in confusion of how he was funny in this scenario as she took him back onto her lap and you moved the crystal ball onto the table.
"Okay, for real this time." The dark elf said as everyone's laughter died down and they paid close attention to the fortunetelling session.
Slowly, the dark elf mistress waved her hands around over the crystal ball as you watched closely to see if anything was really going to happen. You'd heard about these kind of people in your old world, but you never really believed that they could see into people's future. Though now that you were in a new world where almost anything goes, you waited to see if these fortunetellers were actually serious about their powers. Sure enough, you could sense the magicules gathering and swirling around in the crystal ball as it began to shine and swirl with magicules. Soon, the misty substance cleared and the vision of a woman with five children stood in front of her appeared for everyone to see. The children in the crystal ball seemed sad as a little girl ran up and hugged the woman while crying. Soon, the image zoomed to show the face of the woman, who was quite beautiful and looked like a gentle, kind person.
What surprised you though was how similar she looked to the majority of Japanese women you remembered back in your world. Before you could take a closer look, the image of her disappeared and the crystal ball lied dormant once more.
"That was one pretty girl." Kaijin spoke up as you and Rimuru were snapped out of your thoughts. "You're turning red." He said with a little smirk on his face towards Rimuru.
"Huh?! I don't change colors!" Rimuru said as he turned away with a bashful pink hue on his cheeks.
"Oh, you're curious about this girl you're destined to be with, huh?" The dark elf said with a joyful tone.
"No fair, cheating on us!" The blonde elf holding Rimuru said with a teasing pout.
"Sure, I'm curious, but..." Rimuru didn't know what to think now that he saw the person he was 'destined' to be with.
"Hey, Rimuru..." You used Thought Communication as the slime looked over to you. "...You think so too, right? She looks like your typical cute Japanese girl..." You asked him as his face drooped down a bite.
"Yeah...If she's also Japanese, I guess I'd like to meet her." Rimuru thought as you remembered the image of his 'destined' girl.
"Hopefully she has some answers that could help us out while we're here. At least we know we're not the only ones--!" Your thoughts were cut off when a new voice had suddenly filled the room that was once quiet.
"Should you really be wasting time in a place like this, Kaijin?" This voice spoke with an air of cockiness as you all turned to see two men had entered the bar you were in.
"It's Minister Vesta." Kaijin spoke with an low, serious tone as you lifted your head to look at man and his assistant.
"Vesta? The guy who gave him an unsurmountable task that'd kill any regular ol' person? He looks like some shmuck too high on his horse to see the crap he's leaving behind. I have a feeling we're not gonna be friends anytime soon." You thought as you grew a cold look on your face towards the minister as he walked over to your little party.
"Is this a good time to be playing around? I believe the deadline for those longswords is..." Vesta was trying to condescendingly remind Kaijin about the deadline for the swords.
"I just sent them in." Kaijin answered before he could finish.
"If you don't get them finished in time...Huh?" Vesta stopped himself in his last strut as he looked over in shock of what he said. "What? You sent them in?!" He asked Kaijin.
"Yep. All twenty of them." Kaijin reaffirmed him of the amount of longswords that were requested.
"B-But that's..." Vesta put his hand to his mouth as he was now unsure of what to say to this fact.
"Want to see the invoice?" Kaijin offered to show him proof of the done deal.
"Ahem! Mhmm!" Vesta cleared his throat before putting on his poker face once more and moving his hands to his side. "Is that so? Well, well, finishing your work in the time allotted is to be expected. Yes, it's only to be expected." He said as you found yourself growing more annoyed with his voice.
"This guy is ruining my drinks. Back in my world, the last guy who ruined my drink wound up in a hospital while I wound up banned from a bar..." You let out a low grumble that the dark elf felt the vibrations from since her hand was under your chin.
"I'm more concerned with these!" You opened one eye and looked up to see Vesta looking down at you and Rimuru.
"Huh? Us?" Rimuru asked as you glared at Vesta and your eyes dimly glowed red.
"You shouldn't bring such lowly monsters into a high-brow establishment like this. It's making me feel ill." Vesta said as he pulled out a hand cloth to cover his mouth and nose in disgust at the sight of you two.
"Huh...?" You growled as you bared your teeth from behind your lips.
"B-Baby...Stay calm." The dark elf said nervously as she tried to hold your head in her lap and stroked your spines gently, trying to keep you calm.
"Hey! Do you allow monsters to be brought in here?" Vesta asked the elf that owned the establishment.
"They may be monsters, but they seem like a harmless slime and lizard infant." The owner tried defending you two being there.
"What? They are monsters, am I wrong? Are you trying to say slimes and lizards aren't monsters?" Vesta asked an aggressive and hard question to the owner.
"No, not in the least." The owner said as she grabbed a drink and walked around the bar over to Vesta. "Come, now, Minister. How about a drink? Please, help yourself." The boss elf said trying to calm things down as he took the mug from her.
"Hmph. This is what should be done to monsters." Vesta said as he turned around and suddenly poured the drink all over Rimuru and the elf he was sat on.
The blonde elf yelped in shock as the liquid hit her as well, while Rimuru just sat there and took what he threw at him. Annoying as it is, Rimuru knew he shouldn't make this outburst even worst by retaliating, but as he held back his own thoughts, he couldn't hold yours back. Rimuru could feel the magicules in the air become heavy as he looked in shock to see you stood up fully with red in your eyes. The dark elf was trying to hold you down, but you were too strong and angry to listen to anything.
"You..." You let out a growl that frightened everyone in the bar, as Vesta could feel your strong presence behind him and slowly turned around with a nervous look.
"H-Hey! Don't worry! I'm okay! Calm down, Y/N!" Rimuru yelled as he tried to reach out to you with his voice.
"Belittling me and ruining my drink is one thing, but taking your annoyances out on not just these incredible women here, but ESPECIALLY on my best friend...You really are a piece of trash...!" You growled as Vesta was frozen in fear.
"B-Baby! Calm down, please!" The dark elf tried to hold you back, but was being dragged by your strength as you slowly approached Vesta. "B-Baby, please!" The dark elf pleaded for you to stop.
Just before you could do anything however, Kaijin stepped in and threw a mean slug with his fist as it crashed right dead center into Vesta's face. The Minister staggered back in pain as you snapped back in shock of what Kaijin had done. The dwarf blacksmith glared at the Minister as he cracked his knuckles ready for another punch.
"Vesta! I hope you're ready to pay for treating my guests like that." Kaijin spoke with anger as Vesta held his face in pain.
"Kaijin..." You were more than surprised by the action Kaijin had taken on yours and Rimuru's behalf.
"Y-You...! How dare you speak to me like that?!" Vesta said in complete shock.
"SHUT UP!!" Kaijin yelled as he walked over to show Vesta and his assistant the door.
"Hey, Kaijin!" Dord called out.
"Go easy on him!" Garm wanted to make sure he didn't do something he'd regret too much.
"Not the face! Go for the body!" Rimuru egged on Kaijin as the Minister backed away nervously.
With his right hand reeled back, Kaijin delivered another powerful blow to Vesta's face, knocking him back into his assistant who was knocked over by the force. You and the rest of your party at the table were beyond shocked at Kaijin's actions as Rimuru spoke up.
"Was that a good idea? Isn't he a Minister? Won't this mean trouble for you?" Rimuru asked as Kaijin stood up straight with his back turned to everyone.
"Hey, Y/N...Rimuru...You two were looking for skilled artisans, right?" Kaijin asked as he turned around to the two of you with a genuine and serious look on his face. "Would you settle for me?" He asked as this surprised the two of you.
"What?! You mean it?" Rimuru asked in shock.
"T-This is a big decision to make. Don't you wanna take time to think things like this through?" You asked him to be sure about his answer.
"Yeah. I did think it through. I'm serious." Kaijin reassured his answer as Rimuru hopped onto your head as he cleaned himself of the drink and you walked over to Kaijin with him.
"Then we don't need to settle if we have you! We'd be thrilled to have your help, Kaijin!" Rimuru answered as Kaijin grew a subtle, yet genuinely happy look in his eyes.
However, things wouldn't exactly end the way you wished it would end tonight. After being assaulted by Kaijin, the guards were all informed and arrived to handle the situation, which resulted in Kaijin and the rest of you boys in cuffs. You were especially uncomfortable with a muzzle around your snout, cuffs and your wrists and ankles, and your tail shackled to the back of your muzzle to keep it from moving around. The embarrassing part was the fact that it was Kaido who had arrived and had to haul you back off as you and Rimuru were now treated as criminals once again, and wound up in the same cell as before, only with Kaijin and the others with you now. Laying on the ground in boredom, you heard a snoring noise come from above you and looked up to see Gobta had not woken up since you three had arrived in the city.
"Ah, I forgot he was here. Wake up, will ya?" You said as he remained sound asleep upside down in the cocoon of webs Rimuru put him in and you began to spin him around like some toy.
"You've been asleep all this time?!" Rimuru said in shock of how much Gobta could sleep.
"Haaaahhh...If only I hadn't lost my temper..." Kaijin sighed with some regret.
"No...I lost control first and you stepped in to take the blame...Sorry, Kaijin." You apologized to him.
"Nah, Vesta made me more mad than you think. I would've done it regardless of you losing your temper, too. I dragged you all into this. I'm sorry." Kaijin said as he bowed his head in regret to you all.
"Hey, it's okay! No problem!" Garm said with a reassuring tone.
"Nothing you need to worry about!" Dord waved off the issue like it was nothing.
"Hm! Hm!" Myrd just nodded his head with a smile.
"Speak, man!" Both you and Rimuru thought the same thing in reaction to another one of Myrd's hums before Rimuru turned to Kaijin. "Are we going to be put on trial?" He asked the blacksmith.
"Yeah, I guess so. We won't be executed or anything, though. We'll probably just have to pay a fine. Ahahaha!" Kaijin gave a hearty laugh as you still felt a little wary about the situation you were all in.
"I hope so...But that minister really seemed to have it in for you." Rimuru said as Kaijin returned to his stoic look as he began to recall his earlier life.
"I used to serve this nation's king, Gazel Dwargo. I was the captain of one of the seven orders of royal knights. At the time, he was adjutant. He came from the marquis's family, and I was from a family of peasants. It must have infuriated him. Even back then, we clashed all the time. And then..." Kaijin trailed off as he remembered the past failure of Vesta, and how he was blamed for the incident. "...One of the projects he'd been under pressure to complete, the Magisoldier Project...went up in smoke." You looked over to see a sad look had fallen upon Kaijin's face as he recounted his past. "Vesta foisted all the responsibility for his failure onto me. He got our forces on his side and even came up with false testimony." He said as there was a silence that filled the cell for a brief second before he smiled and with amusement. "So I assumed responsibility and quit the force. He still holds a grudge against me and makes unreasonable demands of me at every opportunity. That's what this was all about, too." Kaijin finished as you scoffed in annoyance.
"For real? Damn that Vesta...How can someone be so petty?" You groaned in annoyance as your tail slapped the ground lightly in irritation.
"He's pretty pathetic." Rimuru also made his own comment about Vesta.
"You got that right. But it's not as if he's a bad guy, really. He and I weren't a good match, but he was always a hard worker and passionate about his research. The pressure he felt to complete that project came from his need to please the king. If I leave this country, it might make him a better man." Kaijin said with optimism.
"You really think so?" Rimuru asked.
"Hmph! From what you said, I find it hard to believe that. He'll probably just find some other scapegoat to take the burden all those ridiculous requests." You said with skepticism as Kaijin stood off the bed he sat on and turned to you two.
"Well Y/N, Rimuru...I'm all yours." Kaijin said as he reached out his hand.
"Yeah." Rimuru said as he extended an appendage to shake hands with Kaijin.
"We have no doubts you'll help us more than we could ever imagine." You said with a genuine smile as you raised your tail and he shook it to seal the deal.
"About that..." You all turned to see Garm stand up from the bench he and his brothers were on. "We're gonna follow Kaijin, too." He said as this surprised Kaijin.
"Yeah. We'll go anywhere if it means we can work with Kaijin." Dord also followed his brother's approach of loyalty to Kaijin.
"Hm! Hm!" Myrd just stood up and nodded in agreement.
"I couldn't expect anything less than a hum from that guy, but it'll do..." You smiled almost with pride seeing how these brothers were choosing to stick with Kaijin through thick and thin.
"You guys..." Kaijin couldn't help but get stirred up a little inside with happiness towards his friends.
"Y/N, Rimuru, would we be in your way if we tagged along?" Garm asked as you and Rimuru glanced at each other and you just gave him an amused shrug.
"Heh. We'll be glad to take all of you in! But be ready! We're gonna work you to the bone!" Rimuru said as he gave them a thumbs up.
"Right!" Garm and his brothers agreed as you all burst out into amused laughter and were excited for the future to come thanks to this recruitment of Kaijin and his friends.
After having a few more talks about this new partnership, you all decided to end those conversations and catch some sleep for the trial that would determine what would happen to you all. Once morning came, you were all shackled up once again and taken to a grand court room where you were surrounded by knights, and waited along side Vesta who was stood as the defense, as the arrival of the hero king was signaled by the echoing steps of heavy steel boots striking the ground with each step. Looking up to see the last seat that was to be filled by the king as his subordinates were sat beneath him, an announcer spoke up for all in the room to hear.
"His Majesty Gazel Dwargo will now enter!" The announcer spoke.
Once the announcement was made, all the citizens of Dwargon knelt down on one knee in respect of the king's arrival, leaving you and Rimuru confused for a moment. Not wanting to be disrespectful, Rimuru just bowed his slime form as low as he could on the pedestal he was sat on, meanwhile, you were struggling to kneel due to the shackles around your ankles. After struggling for a few moments and feeling awkward, you just decided to fall forward onto the ground seeing as this was the only way you could lower your head in respect for the king. Once the loud foot steps had ceased, you and Rimuru raised your eyes to the highest chair in the jury to see the hero king of Dwargon himself, Gazel Dwargo.
"The trial will now begin. All ris." One of the elders announced as he struck a wood mallet on the table he sat at while everyone stood up, and a few knights managed to get you back on your feet.
"Thanks..." You managed to say through your muzzle with an awkward look on your face.
"N-No problem..." The knight responded awkwardly as he and the ones who assisted you returned to the line of their comrades and a proxy stepped forward to speak on behalf of what transpired.
"As we have seen, when Minister Vesta was enjoying a drink in said establishment, Kaijin and his gang stormed the place and assaulted him. Such behavior must not be tolerated." The proxy spoke with an obnoxious tone you growled at this statement.
"He's been bought." Kaijin whispered to you four as you glared at the proxy in anger.
"This is bullshit. Not to mention the fact that Vesta suddenly looks than what the punches did to him before. I hate this act." You thought in frustration as you glared daggers at Vesta who was suddenly seen in a cast around his arm and wearing more bandages than he should have, as your eyes flashed a dim red color.
"Is this true?" The elder juror asked.
"Yes. There is no mistake." The proxy confirmed this 'true' story as Vesta stepped forward.
"King Gazel, have you heard all this? Please pass strict judgement upon these people! Your Majesty!" Vesta pleaded with the Hero King above him as the elder juror struck the mallet against wood once more.
"I will now state the verdict. The principal offender, Kaijin, is sentenced twenty years of forced labor in the mines." The juror announced as this shocked both you and Rimuru. "And his accomplices are sentenced to ten years of forced labor in the mines. The court is now adjourned." The juror announced as you were beyond stunned by these punishments.
"What the hell?! If mine work in this world is just like the type of mine work from our world, then twenty years in there will kill Kaijin! He might not even last ten with Garm and the others! This severe punishment over striking some jerk for ruining our evening?! Damn them!" You thought in anger as your eyes glowed red.
"Wait." The voice of the Hero King surprised everyone in the court room. "It's been some time, Kaijin. Have you been well?" Gazel asked of his former subordinate.
"Yes." Kaijin responded immediately as he dropped down on one knee with great respect to his king, prompting all of you to follow suit, while you just lowered your head this time.
"Kaijin, you may answer His Majesty." The elder juror granted permission to Kaijin.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am relieved to find you in good health, as well." Kaijin gave his response to the king.
"Kaijin. Have you any interest in returning to my ranks?" Gazel asked as Vesta seemed shocked by this sudden question of Kaijin returning to the king's side.
Silence filled the room as the King awaited his subordinate's answer as Kaijin took a few moments to think of his response. Once he finally knew what he wanted to say, Kaijin raised his head to look Gazel eye to eye with his genuine feelings.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I have already found my masters. My sworn oath is my greatest treasure. I will never part with this treasure, even if Your Majesty orders it." Kaijin gave his firm stance on where his loyalty lies as the knights seemed instigated by this statement.
"Insolence!" One of the head knights yelled as they all stepped forward with their spears aimed at you all.
"Do not interrupt him!" You broke through the muzzle around your head growled as you unleashed a powerful aura that made all the knights hesitant about their attack, though the king remained stern and stoic, along with Kaijin who was only focused on his king.
"...I see." Gazel said as he raised his hand to call off the knights, and you calmed down as well as the aura around you dissipated. "I will now pass judgement. Kaijin and his companions shall be exiled. That concludes my verdict." Gazel announced as you looked over to see the shock that covered Vesta's face, revealing that he didn't anticipate any of this at all. "Disappear from my sight at once!" He demanded as you could hear a faint noise of sadness from Gazel.
"Exile is probably more beneficial to us, but..." You raised your head to see the Hero King stood stern, but you could sense the turmoil that stirred within. "...I'm sure that this isn't what he wanted either...either of them" You thought as you lowered your head in sadness over the whole situation, while Kaijin silent wept as tears ran down his face.
"This court is now adjourned." The elder announced as you were all lead away and out of the court room.
After the court room was cleared out, all who remained were Gazel, Vesta, and one of Gazel's subordinates who had gone down to stand beside Vesta who seemed conflicted about this whole trial. Waiting a few moments to let Vesta gather his thoughts, Gazel finally spoke up.
"Now then, Vesta, is there anything you wish to say?" Gazel spoke in a scolding tone down to Vesta.
"Y-Your Majesty...I...W-Well..." Vesta struggled to find any words to say to him.
"It is unfortunate. I have lost a loyal retainer." Gazel said as Vesta looked up to him in shock.
"H-How can you say such a thing? Kaijin...That man did not swear loyalty to you! He chose some slime and lizard of unknown background to--!" Vesta was cut off when the king spoke once more.
"Vesta. You are mistaken." Gazel said as Vesta's eyes were filled with shock and confusion. "The loyal retainer I have lost...is, in fact..." Gazel's words fell silent as Vesta realized who he was in fact talking about, himself, as despair filled his eyes. "I had great hopes for you. I waited years, even through the failure of the Magisoldier Project, for you to tell me the truth." He said as Vesta felt his entire world crumbling around him.
"Y-Your Majesty, please..." Vesta tried to find something to say, but Gazel did not allow him.
"And now, as well...Look there." Gazel said as Vesta turned to the elder at his side and saw him holding a bright blue potion in his hand. "Do you know what that is? It is a full potion, a draught of complete recovery, made from hipokute herbs." Gazel presented to Vesta the incredible magical potion.
"But...Even with the most advanced dwarven techniques, a potion can only achieve 98% at most...How is this possible?" Vesta pleaded to know as he turned back to the king.
"It was that slime and lizard who gave it to us. There is also the information that the lizard had defeated the armorsaurus that attacked workers in the mine all on his own with a single physical attack. Those two held power that could be viewed as beneficial to us for the coming future." Gazel said as Vesta's heart sank even further from this reveal as Gazel stood up from his seat. "Your actions have severed our relationship with that slime and lizard. Now, is there anything you wish to say?" Gazel spoke as if he were disciplining a child before him who had committed something bad as Vesta was left despaired, shocked, and humiliated as tears of regret welled in his eyes.
"I have nothing to say, Your Majesty." Vesta whimpered in a low voice as tears fell down his face and he fell to his knees in sadness and regret of what he had done. "I only wanted to be useful to you. Ever since I first saw you as a young boy, that is all I have ever wanted." He said as he recounted his desire to by the King's side. "Did I choose the wrong path? Was it when I began to envy Kaijin? Or was it even earlier?" He began to lament over all the horrible acts he had done in the past. "For betraying Your Majesty's expectations...I ask for your forgiveness." He whimpered as he trembled in regret for what he had done.
"Vesta, never show yourself before me again. I have one last thing to say to you." Gazel said as he looked ahead, averting his gaze from Vesta. "Thank you for your service." Was all he finished with as he turned and left the court room, leaving a destroyed and morally wrecked Vesta to stir in his regrets and consequences.
Meanwhile you and Rimuru were being escorted out by Kaido as you walked along the main street to the main gate where you had originally entered Dwargon through. After making the trek all the way to the gate, the sun was setting as you all stood in front of Kaido and his men outside the gates as he and his brother said their farewell's.
"Take care of yourself, Bro." Kaido said his best wishes to Kaijin.
"Sorry for all the trouble. You take care, too." Kaijin also said the same to his brother as Kaido looked over to you and Rimuru.
"Y/N, Rimuru, take care of my brother." Kaido asked the two of you as Rimuru plopped on top of your head.
"No need to worry. We'll only work him to death." Rimuru said as this got a humored smirk out of Kaido before he put on his work face.
"In accordance with the king's sentence, Kaijin and his companions are now exiled. Leave at once!" Kaido spoke one last time to you all as he and his men turned around and went back through the gates as they slowly shut, and they were now exiled.
"Well, shall we get moving? Our friends are waiting in the forest." Rimuru suggested a Kaijin nodded.
"Right." Was all he responded with as Kaijin followed the two of you to his new home.
Once you finally accomplished your goal of recruiting some skilled artisans, you all made the journey back home to your village and once they arrived, Kaijin and his companions got to work in an instant with the help of the goblins. Weeks had passed and already they had taught the goblins so many skills and the small village made of twigs was now starting to resemble a small town in the works.
You were currently walking through the forest helping pick some fruits with Mai as she happily floated by your side while holding a small basket of berries with her legs. Ever since your return, Mai had been stuck to your side and wanted to assist you in all of your duties to help further progress and maintain the village. Though it did seem she was a bit more clingy as some nights you'd find her sleeping cuddle up next to you. Even now, she was floating a bit closer than you'd like, actually she was sat on your head while her basket was rested on top of her and you two were returning back home. You would say something to her, but with how cute and happy she looked, you decided to just leave her be as you gave her a free ride home. While walking back home, you would pass by goblin after goblin, more than you were used to as other neighboring goblin villages relocated to yours and offered to serve under you and Rimuru in exchange for protection. Approximately five hundred new goblins had joined the village, and this time you helped Rimuru in naming all of them, resulting in the two of you falling asleep for two whole days to recharge. While on your way back you ran into Rimuru and Ranga who were out for a stroll as well and the four of you journeyed back through the construction zone towards the huts you were set up in. Though when you were heading back, a sudden commotion caught yours and Rimuru's attention.
"All right! I'll show you how it's done!" Someone yelled as you, Rimuru, Mai and Ranga turned to see Gobta showing his comrades something. "HHHHNNNGGHHH!!" Gobta suddenly began grunting focusing on something as his face contorted to look as if he was about to have an accident in his pants.
"Is he backed up in his rear end?" You asked with a raised brow.
"Maybe we should adjust tonight's dinner to help him with his bowl problems." Mai suggested before you four noticed something happening around Gobta's shadow.
Gobta focused more and more as his shadow suddenly began to swirl and emit a black smoke that rose from the ground. After a few more moments, Gobta jumped out of the way as his shadow erupted and out of it came his direwolf that he summoned.
"Whoa! He summoned one!" Rimuru said with surprised.
"Was he always able to do that?" You asked in surprise of his skill.
"There you have it. Give it a try, all of you!" Gobta said as you all caught on to what he was doing.
"Oh, he's teaching them how to summon a direwolf as well. What a lovely thing to do." Mai gave him praise for his actions.
"Hmph! Maybe Gobta is more impressive than we though." You let out an amused chuckle as you continued to watch his teaching skills.
"Then, all we have to do is wish for out direwolf to come out?" One of his newbie comrades asked.
"That won't work. You've gotta be more like, 'Unnnngh'...And then, 'Pop!' Like that!" Gobta explained as his words left them, and you four even more confused than before.
"Let's go." You said in an unamused and skeptical tone while walking away.
"Yes, it appears we were too optimistic about a few things." Mai also said in a similar tone as you four walked away, losing a few points of optimism over Gobta's teaching skills.
"Yeah. My opinion of Gobta went up several levels a few moments ago, but now they're down several levels." Rimuru said as he and Ranga followed you two.
"Great Rimuru! Great Y/N!" A voice called out as you stopped in your tracks and turned down another road to see Rigurd running over to you in a great haste.
"Rigurd?" You said in confusion of his sudden rush as he came to a halt in front of you two.
"Is something up?" Rimuru asked him.
"Yes, sir! We received a message from Rigur and the security team. It seems they've discovered suspicious beings in the forest." Rigurd informed you two.
"Monsters?" Rimuru asked.
"No, humans." Rigurd said as this caught yours and Rimuru's attention even more.
"Humans?" You and Rimuru said at the same time.
"They may be scouts from some nation hoping to expand its dominion." Rigurd suggested the reasoning for their sudden appearance as you sniffed the air and did catch an unknown scent coming from a different direction.
"Mai, take the berries over for me. I wanna take a look at our new guests." You said as Mai floated off your head.
"As you wish, my Lord." Mai said as she took your basket with her and went ahead of you.
"I'm going as well. Rigurd, take care of everyone for us." Rimuru said as you rushed off into the forest with Rimuru following behind you on top of Ranga.
After leaving your village to see what was happening in the forest, there were sounds of explosions and fire being seen rise up and fall in the distance. You could also sense someone with immense power that seemed as if it was trying to be suppressed. Once you grew near the sound of the commotion, you noticed a few dead Giant Ants that were burned or stabbed to death. Hearing the sound of another explosion, you turned your head to see the ones who were causing the scene. Watching from the tree line, you saw the group of humans that had wandered into the forest and near you village. A group of four humans, two men and two women, three of which you recognized were the humans you saw back when you first exited Veldora's cave. Though now they were accompanied by a masked woman who wielded a sword that was briefly surrounded by flames before the embers went out. She had just finished off what they though was the last Giant Ant that was pursuing them as she pulled her blade out of its head. Though, just as things seemed like they were over, you and the other human girl noticed one of them was still alive.
"Shizu, that one's still--!" The blonde girl's sentence didn't need to be finished as the masked woman named Shizu turned around to see a surviving Giant Ant tower above her.
Shizu readied her blade to snuff out the Giant Ant's life for good, but just as she was ready to fight, something strange happened as you saw her suddenly hold her head in pain with one hand and drop to one knee, seemingly weakened by something.
"Shizu!" The girl cried out in worry.
"Oh no!" You were about to act, but you noticed that you were beaten to the punch.
Before you could do anything, a black bolt of lightning suddenly dropped from the sky above and scorched the Giant Ant before disintegrating it and blowing it apart. A huge dust cloud formed as you were surprised by the strong attack, and followed the trace magicules it left behind to see that it was Rimuru who cast the skill.
"Eh? When did you learn that? Also, where's Ranga?" You asked as you noticed he was now on the ground.
"I just learned it recently, and Ranga's in my shadow just to be safe. Let's go meet these guys." Rimuru said as he hopped onto your head.
"Hey, isn't that skill kinda overpowered?" You asked while walking out of the treeline and into the dust cloud Rimuru kicked up with his skill.
"I thought so, too. Though it was the only skill I could think of that would kill the Giant Ant in time." Rimuru said before he felt something suddenly gently land on his head. "Hm?" Rimuru made a question mark on his body in confusion as you walked ahead in the dust cloud.
"Gyah! Rimuru! You really did a number on that Giant Ant. I'm stepping in nothing but ash." You said to him as the silhouettes of the humans became clearer and clearer.
"I guess Black Lightning really is too strong. Better not use it, either." Rimuru said as you waved your tail around and cleared the dust to reveal yourselves to them humans as they grew confused from the sight of you two.
"A slime and lizard?" The three adventurers said in confusion as Rimuru grabbed the mask that fell on his head.
"Yeah. Got a problem with slimes and lizards?" Rimuru asked while you walked toward them and he held out the mask for them to take.
"Uh, no...I just never knew slimes could talk." The man with brown hair you recognized before from Veldora's cave said.
"I can't believe it. Also this slime is the master of the lizard?" The blonde girl said in disbelief.
"Hey! Who are you calling a slave? I'm my own being and I'm just letting him ride on my head for convenience." You said in an annoyed tone that shocked them even more.
"Eh? The lizard can speak, too!" The man in the green shirt said in shock.
"I can hurt your feelings too if you want." You said as you walked over to the woman was seemed injured.
"Ah, no thanks...sorry..." The man in the green said as you lowered your head for Rimuru to hold out the mask.
"Here, miss. This is yours, isn't it? Sorry about that. You weren't hurt, were you?" Rimuru asked as the woman in white accepted the mask back and gave you two a good look at her face.
"No, I'm all right. You saved me. Thank you." The woman responded as you and Rimuru were instantly shocked by who you were seeing.
"Cute... Are you serious? That hot fortunetelling elf was right...Dammit! I should've asked to see who I was destined to be with." You thought in frustration.
After getting that situation sorted out and making sure everyone was okay, you and Rimuru invited the four of them back to your village where they could grab some food and regenerate the energy spent from fending off those Giant Ants. You and Rimuru had to finish sorting out some things with the villagers for a little before you were finally able to go and see how your guests were doing. You walked with Rimuru and Rigurd to the tent that they were staying at as Rigur was stood outside their tent waiting for your arrival.
"What are those four up to?" Rimuru asked in wonder.
"Well..." Rigurd wasn't sure how to answer him as when the two of you walked up to the entrance of the tent, you could already guess what they were doing.
"Hey, damn it! I wanted that meat!" One of them yelled in anger.
"What a jerk! I raised that meat myself, you know!" The blonde girl's voice you recognized yelled.
"Listen, man! I won't yield when it comes to food!" The other man stood his ground as you and Rimuru both grew perplexed looks as you turned to Rigurd for an answer.
"I'm sorry...They said they were starving, so I gave them food." Rigurd answered as this actually satisfied the two of.
"Hey, that's great! Helping those in need is a good thing!" Rimuru complemented him.
"They say that helping others eventually comes around to help you. Remind us to reward you for your good work, Rigurd." You said as he bowed his head gratefully.
"Yes, sirs! Thank you very much! I hope to dedicate myself to doing just that!" Rigurd shouted with a feeling of joy.
"Good, good." Rimuru bounced on your head as you walked forward to go inside the tent.
"Great Rimuru, Great Y/N, go on in." Rigur said as he opened the veil of the tent to let you inside.
Upon opening the veil of the tent, this caught the attention of those who were inside and revealed a strange sight to you. Before your eyes was the group of humans you had helped, but the way they looked whilst feasting on the food your village provided for them, they looked a bit more intimidating than a few monsters you came across as they chewed viciously except for Shizu...
"Now that I really look at them, I feel like I've seen them before..." Rimuru thought to himself in wonder as his skill chimed in.
"Answer. They are the trio you encountered in the cave." Great Sage answered him as you walked inside with Rimuru.
"Oh, right. Those guys. Hey, Y/N?" Rimuru whispered as you turned your eyes up to him. "Don't you remember these guys?" Rimuru asked as you nodded.
"Yeah, we encountered them when we left the cave. Seems like this world isn't as big as we thought if we ran into these guys again. Well, what can you do?" Was all you said before turning your attention back to them.
What caught your attention for a second however was the way Shizu was portraying herself as she ate her food. She sat in the traditional Japanese Seiza style, and ate her food diligently and with minimal efforts or mess. What surprised you more was how she somehow vacuumed a piece of cooked meat into her mouth while her mask was still on.
"Wow! I wanna try doing that! I'll ask Kaijin to make me a mask or something later..." You let your impressed and excited thoughts win for a moment before shaking your head and turning back into serious mode.
"Guests, I fear we have little to offer, but are you comfortable here? Allow me to make introductions. These are our masters, the great Rimuru and Y/N!" Rigurd announce with pride as he gestured to the two of you as you both stood there plainly as the other three minus Shizu swallowed their food in shock.
"Masters?" They said in complete disbelief of a Slime and Lizard being the masters of so many goblins and various monsters.
"Got a problem with that?" You and Rimuru asked with a slight hint of annoyance.
"Uh, no..." The man with brown hair said.
"We knew you two were no ordinary slime or lizard, but we had no idea..." The blonde girl was still in disbelief as this made you two feel awkward.
"H-Hey, don't make them too wary of us..." You said to Rimuru with Thought Communication.
"R-Right, that probably threw them for a loop. Maybe we should do something to show them we're harmless." Rimuru said as he suddenly made himself more bouncy. "Nice to meet you! I'm Rimuru the slime! I'm not a bad slime!" Rimuru spoke with a cutesy tone.
"Pfft!" You and the others were surprised when Shizu suddenly averted her gaze to the side with a little laugh that she tried to hide, which was especially intriguing to you and Rimuru.
"Shizu?" The blonde girl tried to see what was up with her friend as you and Rimuru were now more interested about her.
"Did she just get that joke right now?" Your suspicions about her origins were growing more and more to reality as you didn't expect her to understand this reference from your world.
"We apologize. We never expected to be saved by a pair of monsters, but we do appreciate it." The man with brown hair said as he seemed to be the leader of this group.
"Oh, and thanks for the meat! It's delicious!" The blonde girl said energetically.
"T-Thanks for your help. I didn't expect to find Goblins building a village here." The man in the green shirt said as you two looked over to see if Shizu would say anything, but she seemed to be indulging herself at eating in her slow, calm manner.
"So, what brings you all the way out here?" Rimuru asked as you turned back to the other three.
"I'm Kaval. For what it's worth, I'm the leader of this party." The man with the long brown hair said before pointing to the blonde girl behind him. "This is..." He was about to introduce her, but she beat him to the punch.
"I'm Eren!" The blonde girl Eren said with glee.
"Hello. I'm Gido. Nice to meet you." The last man named Gido introduced himself as Kaval pointed over to the masked girl.
"And this is a temporary member who just happened to be going the same way as us." Kaval said as Shizu turned her attention fully to you two.
"Shizu." Was all she answered with.
"Yeah, well, my sensitive hearing heard them call you that before, but we'll just leave it at that." You thought as you nodded to her.
"The one I'm destined to be with is named Shizu, huh?" Rimuru used Thought Communication with you as the two of you paid close attention to her. "I guess she really is Japanese. She's sitting seiza-style, even." Rimuru pushed his thoughts to you.
"Yeah. Hopefully we can find some time alone with her to ask her some things she might know about this world." You replied to him as you turned your head for Rimuru to speak. "And?" He asked wanting to know why else they were here.
"We're here at the request of the Guildmaster in the Kingdom of Blumund. We were asked to investigate the area for them." Kaval explained truthfully.
"With the absence of both my mother and Veldora, it's only natural the nations that surround this Great Forest would become interested in it now that their influence is gone. It's only a matter of time before others wander into the forest and stumble upon our village. My only hope is that those who we do encounter are ones that we can build trust with and create a mutual relationship with each other." You thought with some concern as Rimuru spoke up.
"As you can see, we're in the middle of building our village, but, well...does the Guild have some problem with that?" Rimuru asked as Kaval and the others seemed a bit confused as well.
"I don't think so, right?" Kaval asked his fellow party members.
"Yeah. It's nothing the Guild has any say in. What about the country, though?" Eren asked Gido.
"Hmmm....I have no idea, myself." Gido answered truthfully as it seemed they were also confused on the reason of investigating the area for any problems.
"I see. Well, I think we get it now. You should stay here tonight and get some good rest." Rimuru offered them temporary shelter as they bowed gratefully.
"Thank you!" They all responded with gratitude as you turned your head to Rigurd and Rigur.
"Take care of them. Treat them as our first important guests." You said to Rigurd as he and his son bowed their heads in acknowledgement.
"Yes, sir!" The two of them responded as you left them to enjoy their meal and rest up for the mean time.
After some time had passed and you and Rimuru got some more work done in progressing the construction of your village, the sun had began to set as Shizu set off on her own to grab some fresh air and stare at the setting star from atop a hill. Whilst stood there in silence, the sound of footsteps approaching closer and closer came into ear shot as you arrived with Rimuru who bounced alongside you. The two of you stopped at both of her sides with you on her left and Rimuru on her right as you three were all staring out at the sunset together.
"Do you have a minute?" Rimuru asked her as she took acknowledged both yours and Rimuru's presence. "There's something we'd like to ask you. Are you, um, from Japa--!" He was about to ask the big question, but she cut him off.
"Slime-san, that line you said was from a game, wasn't it?" Shizu asked as this surprised you and confused Rimuru.
"Huh?" Rimuru hummed in confusion.
"-san?" You were surprised by the use of the honorific by her.
"I'm not a bad slime." Shizu repeated the line as you and Rimuru stared at her in wonder and awe. "I've never played it, but I heard about it from someone else from my country." She said as she knelt down and picked Rimuru up to her bosom while she held him with one arm and knelt down to cuddle up next to you, making the two of you blush.
"Ever since we came to this world, women have been all over us! It pains me to say, but I must have more attractiveness or something as a Gojira infant than I did as a human being! It pains me but this is bliss!" You thought as you nuzzled up to her.
"Are you from Japan, too?" Shizu asked him.
"Yeah." Rimuru nodded to her as she looked over to you.
"Are you also from there, Lizard-san?" Shizu asked using an honorific for you as well.
"Y-Yes, we both came to this world together..." You answered her as she removed her mask and placed it on her lap to reveal a relieved smile.
"I see. I'm glad I met you two." Shizu said as this meeting also warmed your heart and you settled into the setting with your head on her lap as she gently stroked your head. "How did you two come here?" She asked as you two grew a bit awkward about that answer.
"Actually, I was stabbed to death." Rimuru said.
"Stabbed?" Shizu was surprised by this.
"I kinda got ran over trying to save him." You answered as she looked at you with surprise.
"Run over?" She was even more confused by this answer.
"And the next thing we knew, we had these magnificent forms!" Rimuru said as he made Shizu smile with his humor and cuteness.
"I see. So you two were reincarnated. That must've been hard." Shizu said as she gave you two gentle strokes on the head as you bellowed in relaxation.
"Was it different for you?" Rimuru asked as a sad look fell upon her face and there was a cold breeze that blew through the area as her answer to the question also gave you a guess to how her life must have been when she came about this world.
"I'm...a Summon."