The Lizardmen's Ambitious Prince, Gabiru

Come next morning...

'Ugggh, I didn't sleep a wink yet I strangely don't feel tired...' Benimaru groaned as they got up refreshed despite having one hell of a night as Rimuru warned them.

'She wasn't kidding, I felt being disassembled and sewed back different.' Kurobe said wearily. 'I'm not forgetting that.'

'Well, evolution changes and its not exactly painless.' said Hakurou. 'And it seems you youngsters shrunk a little.' he on the other hand, grew taller and his body rejuvenated. He also has skills he didn't have before that will be of great use to him as a swordsman. Not only that, their faces have greatly changed to more good looks as well.

'Yeah, getting new clothes is in order.' Benimaru agreed as his clothes are sagging on him now. What more of the family armor? 'Shuna, Shion, you awake?' he called out to what's behind the wooden screen.

'We're up, oniisama.' said Shuna.

'Get dressed and we'll go see Rimuru-sama. Its not breakfast yet so we still have time.' Benimaru instructed as the now Kijin got dressed into their...loose clothes and set out together for Rimuru's house, but she was already out, giving out instructions to the goblins.

'Rimuru-sama.' they greeted.

'Oh! Good morning!' Rimuru greeted. 'So how's evolution?'

'I never dreamed I'd become a Kijin at only 89 years old...' Shuna croaked out and Rimuru nearly face-faulted at Shuna's age claims. This girl, who looks like a senior middle schooler, is 89?! Then again, monsters DO age slowly the stronger they are... 'Elder Oni usually become Kijin! Master Hakurou would have become one next year!' she exclaimed excitedly.

'For all six of us to become Kijin at the exact same time is unheard of and an unprecedented event in our history.' said Souei. 'We are grateful, Rimuru-sama.'

'Awwww some boring rules are made to be broken~' Rimuru finger-wagged playfully. 'Everyone should grow at their own pace when they want to, not grow up when told to.' she said. 'Oh yes, you should get used to what you didn't have before I give you jobs to do. And Elder, I would like you to be instructor to the fifty warriors we have here.' she requested. 'And be really strict.' Hakurou's eyes shone with mirth at her request. 'I told our Hunter Unit what we're in for but I haven't told the village yet to avoid panic. I put them into Evacuation Preparations without realizing it while still taking care of our farms.'

'Hmm. When shall I meet my students?'

'After breakfast.' said Rimuru. 'Everyone else I want you to do some soul-searching and get to know your new selves better and master it. With evolution comes some unexpected things you didn't have before, or lost unwanted traits that hindered you.' they didn't see that coming.

'Not even I'd know what you'd get from me when you evolve, its a random luck draw but a lucky draw that actually suits your talents. I'm more of a magician than a fighter at my current self since I'm too young.' she explained as this got them excited as that's even better! 'And if you suddenly find yourself with a Unique Skill, even better as during evolution, you surely had strong wishes granted by The World in the form of a Unique Skill. It should be celebrated if you got any. I wouldn't know but you would.'

'Yes!'

'Breakfast will be in an hour and ask the dwarves for some clothes!' and she left them to join the Cooking Team.

'We'll discuss this.' Benimaru was quick to initiate the clan-only meeting.

They've known each other for YEARS thus its easy to know what they currently have.

If you are Named by a powerful Monster, you are now a part of their Genealogy. thus you would gain a few things from your Namer as Rimuru had stated if it actually will benefit you or nothing if her skillset doesn't suit you at all. But what intrigued them was the Unique Skill they haven't heard of before!

As Kijin, while they DID gain the power and body benefits expected of a Kijin through natural evolution as they've long known, but under Rimuru, it was times-three, making them one hell of warriors with just physical strength alone. Their minds were also a lot clearer enabling them to think better(increased intelligence)...and they got incredibly good looking all of a sudden with straight, white teeth! Elder Hakurou was even rejuvenated as if he was 'a couple centuries younger', equivalent of a male human warrior in their early 50s!

For the men, they have 'quality, sculpted muscle' great for swordsmen without being too big or bulky, and a physique that if seen even partially naked past arms, women of any race as well as men with...inclinations...would find themselves admiring, unless it's a female oni, kijin or Rimuru herself would be immune to those charms. For Shion, she has a sculpted, toned musculature without losing her beauty as female on Rimuru's whims through her control in evolution with Great Sage's computations and knowledge. Shuna, being a princess, her physique also improved to be more attractive and a head taller than before.

This manifested as Common Skill: Ogre Charm. Deadly as they are beautiful. They were also bestowed with another common skill: Bloodline Limit. Male Kijin who descended from Benimaru, Souei, Kurobe and Hakurou, will always have Kijin children no matter what the race of the wife is, as long as they are stronger than said wife in magicules. And they're very fertile! For female Kijin who may descend from either Shuna or Shion, its a bit different. Their daughters will always be Kijin, while their sons are of whatever race their husband is.

Considering they're damn near extinct, this actually brought them joy and got them happier with Rimuru as their master.

For Benimaru, he gained the Common Skill Thought Communication, Extra Skills Multilayer Barrier, Spatial Travel, Black Flame and Steel Strength, and Resistances against Physical Attack, Pain and Abnormal Condition.

For Shuna, as she wasn't much of a fighter but more of a magician, she gained Thought Communication, Multilayer Barrier and Spatial Travel and Resistance against Abnormal Condition. However, she DID gain a Unique Skill called Analyst with subskills of Thought Acceleration, Analytical Appraisal, Chant Annulment and All of Creation.

For Souei, he gained Thought Communication, Multilayer Barrier, Spatial Travel, Body Double and Sticky Steel Thread. His resistances are against Abnormal Condition and Pain.

For Shion, she gained Thought Communication, Multilayer Barrier, Spatial Travel, Pain and Abnormal Condition Resistance, making her pout.

For Kurobe, he gained Thought Communication, Fire Manipulation, Unique Skill: Researcher, giving him the subskills of Omni-Analysis, Spatial Storage and Transmutation and Thermal Fluctuation Resistance. Being a Craftsman, this made perfect sense for the happy guy.

For Hakurou, he gained a rejuvenated, reinvigorated body. Sure he gained immense power from Rimuru but the quality of his magicules got better. He gained Thought Communication, Thought Acceleration, Multilayer Barrier and Steel Strength as well as Abnormal Condition Resistance.

'...so those are our gains.' Benimaru mused. 'Shuna, is there something you're not telling even me?' he asked her as Rimuru DID say that Unique Skiils are Wishes...

Shuna pouted and fumed, evident on her adorable face.

'Oniisama! I lived a life of being in a gilded cage back home!' she fumed, her small fists shaking. 'I felt I just lived to sit and look pretty because I'm a Princess but I want to be something more, OK?! I wasn't allowed almost anything more fun or more meaningful beyond princess training!' she exploded on him making Benimaru gulp at his sister's clearly pent-up frustrations and he had the misfortune of facing the brunt of it. But it was how they were raised, when they learned culture from Hakurou's grandfather...

'...that explains it...' the kijin sweatdropped. Shuna's on her rebellious phase now and since there's no more oni society, she and Benimaru are fallen royalty so she could basically do as she wants now...

xxx

After breakfast of stir-fried vegetables this time...the Kijin approached Dord, the Tailor Craftsman whose office was full of pinned-up paper designs of clothes for men and women. The papers are numbered, too. There's even underwear selections.

'Welcome fellas!' Dord greeted. 'Pick any design on the wall you like and leave it to me to make you an entire closet!' he chimed, holding up a clipboard and a charcoal pencil. 'State the paper numbers!' the kijin did just that. 'I'll also have to measure your bodies alright? You guys shrunk and gotten skinnier compared to last night...do Kijin do that?'

'Er no, it's just under Rimuru-sama but we indeed got the promised strength as expected of Kijin.' said Benimaru, lying to the dwarf with a friendly smile. Like heck he would divulge clan secrets!

'Well, I sorta notice that considering how the Hobgoblins look and now there's you guys, anyone she Names comes out prettier.' Dord snorted in amusement. 'If you're interested in armor or enchanted accessories, go see Garm next door after I get your closet preference and your measurements.'

Considering the resistances they've got, the Kijin figured they won't need it.

xxx

'Welcome fellas!' Garm greeted. 'Up for some gear?'

'Yeah, some light equipment for now.' said Benimaru. 'And light armor in sturdy monster fabrics.'

'Sure thing kiddo! In terms of light armor, we got monster leather and silk here.' said Garm, showing him the shelves containing whatever type, and what they're good for. 'Missy gave me some idea about your culture so let's go with that, shall we?'

xxx

And so, the Kijin fit in well after.

Souei, with Rimuru's permission went scouting though he's responsible for his own provisions in the wild so he can eat meat unlike village restrictions. Shion patrols with the wolves. Shuna and Kurobe joined the dwarves in productivity with Kurobe being a swordsmith and tools crafter. Benimaru teaches Tactics while Hakurou...did good on Rimuru's request.

Even worse, they have to get better wearing their armor granted to them.

In a few days later, Rimuru checked on Shuna as she was a case to be most worried about. She's a Fallen Princess after all, but she was amazed to see Shuna doing well and thriving. Even reproducing silk!

The fabrics in this world, even for the rich, are Hemp, Linen, Cotton, Spandex, Fur, Leather and Burlap. Fur and Cotton being luxury material, Leather can be luxurious if done RIGHT, Spandex worn by most warriors under armor and Burlap being worn by slaves. Rimuru was astonished that this world HAS spandex! Then again, Otherworlder...yup. Otherworlders must have introduced Spandex.

So she gladly went to town with possibilities. Too bad nobody's reproduced gauze yet.

'Mm, glad she's doing well.' Rimuru smiled.

Hell Moth, is it?

/Answer: Hell Moth. Its a specie of Moth with bewitching scale powder that induces nightmarish illusions, ranking B. As a larva it shoots its fine, needle-like hairs with the same effect, making it dangerous. But as a pupa, it is harmless. Its threads is usable as silk only at the early stages of cocooning. But mid-stage is no longer a consumable. A superior specie is Gehenna Moth, having bred in magicule-rich trees located in Treant Forest./

"Hooo? For sustainability, remind me of scheduling so we can harvest, OK?" Rimuru grinned at the prospects. Silk! Not even she could wear silk as Satoko dammit! Those things are criminally expensive, so unfair! As far as affordability can go, it's underwear! She wants to wear a silk dress at least once and she's starting NOW! "Teach me how to do Horticulture on these monster moths."

/Alright. Proceed with downloading information.../

She also checked on Shion who was...bored?!

'You're bored?' Rimuru asked, startling Shion.

'Eek! Rimuru-sama!' Shion squeaked, going ten-hut.

'Well, there are things we'd be happy with and not. Care to talk to me about it?' Rimuru sat with her.

Shion just can't find anything in life that would make her happy doing. She tried many things, but she never stood out in anything at all!

Rimuru quickly figured her out.

Because everyone else basically did 'everything' that there's nothing original left for Shion to do, fearing to fade and be forgotten by everyone.

'I see...I understand now.' said Rimuru softly. 'But Shion, everyone must have a number of similar skills, the only difference being 'how good we are at it'.' she said. 'Our proficiency is based on dedication, patience, diligence and hard work. All that, will total into effort everyone will see. That effort will make anyone shine.' she explained. 'Like in a family with three kids, the one who does the best in school stands out and doted on by parents while forgetting the other two.' Shion choked at that. 'Everyone wants to stand out just like you. But they must find a field and devote themselves in order to shine.'

'So how far is education in Ogre Village for ladies?'

Later, after Shion talked, Rimuru twitched.

"As expected of Sengoku or Edo-Jidai guys...!" she twitched in annoyance. Byakuya Araki was thankfully no typical samurai. He was a privileged man from a high-ranking samurai household but he was kind and generous.

Samurai are trained in the Six Arts. Your fame is based on how good you are at these, other than the sword. He also shared how women are educated in his world as he respected their culture, but he has an emphasis on how royalty should behave to set a good example and gain respect from citizens.

Rimuru paid Myrd a visit, and thanks to Great Sage, has an understanding of how Japanese Instruments are made. Construction aside, Myrd excels in arts. Myrd happily took on the challenge. Rimuru taught Shion singing, which is basically 'poetry with music'.

Elsewhere while peace is in the village...

There is a lake in the center of the Jura Forest, called Shiss.

A marsh surrounds the lake, and is controlled by the Lizardmen.

Countless caves surround their lands, forming a natural labyrinth thwarting any invasion.

Protected thus by the land itself, the Lizardmen peacefully ruled over the lake.

However, one day, troubling news reached them.

The orc army was advancing to the lake.

The Head, upon hearing these news, quickly issued orders.

'Prepare for battle! We'll crush them!'

The Head was full of confidence.

Had they fought on the plains it might have been different, especially considering the Lizardmen's were outnumbered, but this battle would be on their terms.

If they set traps and proceed carefully, they were sure to win.

While sending some to prepare for battle, he also sent a reconnaissance team to investigate the orcs.

Knowing the size of the enemy is a must.

Along with becoming the leader, his intelligence increased.

The carnivorous Lizardmen would individually rank as a C+ monster.

The warriors could reach B-, and some special individuals among them could even reach B rank.

The total number of their troops numbered ten thousand–if calling half of their entire population to arms.

However, even so, their abilities are rather highly ranked.

If they properly cooperate and fight as a single unit, they can easily rival the army of a small human country.

Thus, this battle seems completely to their advantage.

"There is no way we will lose!" So thought their head.

However, his heart was still heavy.

Orcs were typically a race that wouldn't attack those stronger than themselves.

And by no means are Lizardmen weaker.

Had they attacked the goblins, then it would've made some sense, but why them?

And thus the question slowly grew into unease that tormented him.

A bold personality, but with enough humility. That was the Head of the Lizardmen who ruled them carefully for many years.

And this lizard's fears were soon to come true, when a pair of scouts returned, fear etched in their minds.

'Out of the way!' one of them pushed away an elder in his haste to reach him, the chief. 'R-Report for you, Chief!' he gasped out, his breath heaving, eyes wide in shaky fear.

'What's with the ruckus? Explain yourselves!' Chieftain chided sternly while understanding how freaked out the scout was.

'Orc Forces have been spotted south of Lake Shiss!' he cried. 'We believe they intend to invade our territory!'

'Orcs?' chieftain is already starting to feel a knot in his heart.

'How many?' his dutiful daughter, his head bodyguard asked them.

The scouts went dumb with fear in their eyes.

'Speak up! How. Many?' his daughter demanded again.

They shakily looked up.

'W-we estimated the Orcish Forces at 200.000...'

That was to the disbelief of the entire throne room. That can't be right! 200.000 marching?

The orcs were indeed a race bursting with life, renown for their reproductive abilities. However, even then, to prepare 200 thousand warriors was unthinkable.

How were they able to procure enough food?

Who had united that many selfish and greedy orcs under one banner?

With their power, at most a thousand would follow...the best the chief could do would be raise an army for twenty thousand.

'Impossible! An army twenty times OUR size?!' his daughter yelped in horror at the prospect. He wanted to too but he must maintain a certain dignity

'We couldn't believe it either but we made double-sure!' the second scout piped. 'We used Magic Sense and Thermal Sense many-times-over! There's no doubt about it! We don't want to believe it either!'

The other elders and bodyguards got nervous, talking about themselves.

'I've heard about dark tales where they invaded an Oni Village...'

'They did WHAT?!'

'I thought its just a joke, but with an army that size they can easily overwhelm them with numbers...'

Chief began thinking.

Are they divided into sections controlled by some outstanding individuals?

But even so, someone has to unite the leaders to pull a feat like invade an Oni Village.

It couldn't have been...

The mere thought evoked fear.

He wanted to reject that thought with all his might.

That's how terrifying that existence was. The...Orc Lord, said to be born once in many hundreds of years!

However, no matter how hard he thought, only that entity could have achieved such results.

If...if the Orc Lord has indeed been born, then the advantage he so depended on would probably be meaningless.

If they fight normally, defeat is almost inevitable. They don't have enough troops!

So the Head thought.

What could they do to escape from this predicament?

If his worries proved mistaken, he would only jump for joy. However, one has to prepare for any circumstance before the decisive battle.

So he decided to call for reinforcements.

And thus he sent one of his subordinates.

Unfortunately, it was that subordinate that caused the chaos.

xxx

Lizardmen's Raid Leader Gabiru, upon receiving the orders from the head, left the marshes.

Taking with him a hundred warriors.

Gabiru was not pleased.

To him, who had a name, to be taking orders from a the nameless head even if he was his father...how revolting!

"I am a chosen one!" That very fact was the root of Gabiru's pride and confidence.

A certain majin he had met granted him this name.

'You show promise! Someday, I'll come back to call you to my side!'

So the great majin told him.

He remembers those words as if they were said yesterday.

"My great master, the devil Gelmud himself bestowed this name upon me!" Gabiru thought. "So how could I be satisfied working under those low class lizardmen and their pathetic leader? For Gelmud-sama's sake, I must take control of the lizardmen!"

Gabiru kept thinking the same thing: is this fine? Of course not!

In that case, what should he do?

The orders from the Head were to journey to the goblins' village and to request their assistance.

He did allow some forceful coercion, but strictly forbid any action that would prompt a violent response. Gabiru can only grumble. WHY Goblins? They're small, weak, pathetic AND not even smart! They can't even talk properly!

"We should just conquer the goblins! We should have some faith in our abilities, and all will go as planned!" he thought. "We have no need for the weak head who overestimates the power of some lowly orcs! Isn't this the chance for take over that I was waiting for? So–how should I proceed?"

Those lowly goblins can at least serve as meat shields. So he figured he should gather them up and put those lowlifes to use.

Ten thousand goblins should be useful. Then Gabiru paused.

"Wait...I got a better idea."

This is the perfect opportunity to show the world our power!

My power!

For that goal, he should proceed carefully here.

Carefully, without letting his guard down, wait for the right timing.

First, gather forces.

This Gabiru will proceed onward to the Goblin village!

For the sake of my great ambition!