Hey there folks, sorry for the delay in this chapter, got engrossed in the new games Wuthering Waves and have been playing it like crazy since it came out, not to mention the fact that I have been watching the latest season of Tensura over the last week which further delayed me.
I'll do my best to make sure this doesn't happen again, and keep my two weeks post time, but I can't make any promises.
Still, one thing I am glad about is that this fic has entered triple digits in terms of likes and follows. I will do my best to make sure you guys have a reason to continue reading this fic and make it worthwhile.
While on the subject I want to once more give a shout out to Omni-Creator Kami of Anime my co-author and the one who reviews my stuff, be sure to give him your thanks as well!!
PS: I do not own any of the cannon characters in this fic but OC's are mine!
It took about five minutes for me to explain and get the dwarves to calm down after I told them about the fact that I was in fact a dragon hatchling. I held off on telling them about my heritage and connection to my mother, the Storm Dragon, the reason being I didn't feel safe talking about that within the walls of a foreign nation.
Still though, they were pretty accepting of my race after the initial shock and quickly moved past it so we could enjoy the rest of the night celebrating with some pretty elf girls!!
Now, you may be wondering why I was willing to risk revealing my dragon form in foreign soil, my reasoning was simple.
My current form was cute as hell!! I'd learnt that lesson after getting smothered by the goblina (a stimulating experience given their current clothing situation) and the little goblin kids who wanted to play (but thankfully knew better than to try to pull my tail or something like that).
Needless to say I planned to use this small and adorable form to get up and close with some really hot elves!
Ding Ding!!
The doorbell to the bar went off as we entered the elf bar went off as we made our way inside. Immediately we were greeted.
"Welcome Masters!!"
'Holy shit!!' I could have sworn that in that moment, my heart rate skyrocketed and my body became very warm! I lost sight of everything but the beautiful elves that stood in front of us in different cute and alluring poses that emphasized their attractive and cute features
They were a wide variety of these babes! Hot curvy blondes, small and petite child-like elves, a dark elf with booty and thighs to die for, and even a mature milf like elf! They were all cute, pretty and sexy in their own ways. Dressed in revealing attires and jewelries that were meant to bring out their most desirable and attractive features.
Surely this place was elf paradise!!
And I intended to dive right in!
"Oh my gosh!!" I was literally pulled out of my thoughts when I was snatched from mid air by one of the elves and pressed into her rather soft and warm bosom, "A baby dragon, you're so cute!!" the blonde elf squealed as she squeezed and pet my head, running her hand along the back of my neck in a rather soothing manner that just felt so good.
"No fair, let me hold him too!!" Before I could drown myself in the warmth and squishiness of my current position I was snatched away from the elf holding me into the hands of another, before she too pressed me into her larger and squishier bossoms!!
'Out of the kiddie pool and into the deep end!!' I mentally yelled in victory as my entire head was stuffed between two large mommy milkers!!
Nearly forty years, nearly forty years of age, faithfully serving within special forces and CIA in my previous life, and yet this was the most physical contact I had with women. It certainly made the pain of dying and reincarnating certainly worth it.
This warm flesh, this sweet aroma, I was almost tempted to bit the mound of flesh, but that would be outright sexual assault and might land me in trouble if I reveal my human form.
Just as I was about to blissfully pass out from a lack of air, I was pulled away from the rather mature elf and pulled into the arms of the chocolate skinned dark elf!! She was dressed in a belly dancer outfit that left her midsection and curves completely open, also revealing those smooth and slim legs and round behind!!
"Aaawww, you really are so adorable." The dark elf said as she sensually rubbed my head and neck in a way that actually made me purr!!
I quickly found myself being squashed by four sets of breasts as these elf girls each wanted a piece of me.
'I wouldn't mind dying again right now…' I thought as I basked in the warmth of the soft flesh all around me. Truly I'd been blessed to be reborn into this world!!
"Hey Rimuru, don't you think you're enjoying yourself a little bit too much right now?" The teasing voice of Kaijin snapped me out of my paradise as my body stiffened like a deer in headlights. Quickly recovering, I turned towards Kaijin.
"I'm pretty sure any straight man would sink into bliss under the attention of such beautiful women!! So don't judge me!" I shot back at the blacksmith, still a bit embarrassed at having been seen in such a state by my future subordinates.
"'Beautiful'? My Mr.Dragon, you really are a flatterer!" The blonde elf in green commented with a squeal and a blush as she and the other three elves began to smother me with affection once more.
I chose to ignore the toothy grins I saw coming from Kaijin and the dwarf brothers through [magic sense]. I also chose to ignore Rigur in that moment who had gone stiff as a board when one of the elves approached him, given that he wasn't responding to anything it's safe to assume that his body had shut down. Hopefully he didn't embarrass me by doing something stupid.
"Alright everybody, who's up for some drinks?!" The eldest of the elves asked.
"Me!!"
~~~
And so we all sat down and got some drinks, talking about a bunch of stuff along the way. I had the best seat in the entire house, on the soft laps of the blonde elf in green from earlier, and a honey blonde elf on my left side also attending to me.
This was truly paradise my friends.
I talked to Kaijin and the dwarf brothers about my recent birth and adventures, leaving out the part of my mother and reincarnation of course, and they told me a bit more about their lives as well.
I even went on to tell the dwarves a bit about the situation in Jura and my plans for it in the long term.
"You must be pretty strong if you were welcomed into an ogre village, Rimuru." Kaijin said as he downed a drink, "I mean I know you're a dragon and all, but given your age it's a bit unexpected."
"Maybe, I don't think myself as that strong, when compared to the likes of demon lords or even the storm dragon, I'm just a small fry." I said with a shrug.
I knew I was strong, my mother had told me just after she named me that I might just be the strongest creature within the entire Jura forest, and thus far I'd yet to see any creature strong enough to contradict her words. The area where I truly lacked was fighting experience.
While my experiences from my previous life in the military and special forces meant I wasn't starting on ground zero, I was still far behind in terms of what was required to survive in this world.
"Comparing yourself to a demon lord and true dragons is a little unfair. If you're strong enough to earn the respect of an entire ogre village then you have to be at least A-rank or above." Kaijin said as he looked at Rimuru with a knowing grin.
"Maybe. I haven't had the chance to test my strength in full, so I wouldn't really know." I said with a shrug. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either.
I truly hadn't fought anyone who could offer me a decent challenge, but I had a feeling that Treyni at the very least would prove to be entertaining. She was by far the strongest individual I'd come across in Jura, even stronger than that majin Gelmud. Still though, that didn't give me a measurement as to how strong I really was, and that was something I needed to fix as soon as possible.
Looks like a training trip may be in order after I settle a few things in Jura. Man, I'm probably gonna get my head chewed off by the princess and purple haired ogress if I leave so soon after coming back.
But I needed to know my limits in order to fight effectively.
Oh well, there were still plenty of other things that needed to be done before I could even consider leaving to train. Like making sure the goblin village was self-sufficient, visiting the Dryad territory, maybe visiting a few of the other monster settlements in Jura and going back to the ogre village.
"Hahaha, so modest!! I hope that we work together for a long time Rimuru, I can tell we're gonna be great friends!" Kaijin said as raised his cup, grabbing my own with my small dragon hands I also raised it.
"Same here!!" With that we both chugged the alcohol down to the last drop.
In this moment it just felt good to be alive.
~~~
"Rigur…"
"Y-Yes sir!"
I couldn't help but sigh at the young goblin heir. The guy had been seated next to a cute honey blonde elf and had been as stiff as a rock the entire time. The poor elf had tried buttering him up with wine and flattery, but the guy just wouldn't budge.
I mean, I knew Rigur had a bit of a serious side that came from more or less being the one that people relied on after his brother died, but we were in a bar filled with cute elf girls, if there was one place he was meant to let go, it was here. Him being all serious or on edge makes it impossible for me to fully relax.
"Try to chill and have fun, dude. We came here to find artisans to help your village and make them feel more secure. And we succeeded in doing just that by getting the cream of the crop." I told Rigur as I gestured towards the dwarves who were chatting and flirting with their respective elf partners. "This is the first step into creating a safe and strong home for your people. For now, though, let's just relax and have some fun okay?" I said with a relaxing smile and a nod.
"Yes sir." Rigur said with a sigh as his muscles relaxed, guess when one lived their entire life at the bottom of the food chain, and had more or less accepted that as their place, they couldn't help but feel stressed out in new environments, "I'll try to enjoy myself a little."
"Good boy." I said with a nod, before looking down at my cup and noting that it was empty once more, "Can I get another refill please!" I called out to the bartending elf.
"My Mr.Dragon, you really are quite the drinker aren't you?" The elf lady in a slim purple dress commented as she came holding a bottle of wine.
"It's not necessarily the drink, but the one serving it that makes me want to order more. If you're not careful, I might just finish your entire stock." I complimented the elf lady as she poured me another drink, giving me a generous view of her cleavage as she did so. That one was probably a bit too cheesy, but whatever, that's what these kinds of establishments were all about anyways.
"Stop it." She responded with a minor blush, "You must be quite the charmer where you're from, throwing compliments left and right like that." She went on to tease.
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm popular, but I do have my fair share of admirers. Nobody can resist my cuteness, after all." I responded with a cheeky grin as the elf lady giggled. I thanked her for the drink before she left for the counters once more.
"Oh hey, Mr. Dragon." A few minutes later, the dark elf seated next to Kaijin, and across me, suddenly called out, catching my attention.
"Yeah, wassup?"
"Would you like to try something… special?" The way she said that last word instantly caught my attention. That and the way she was sensually moving her hands in front actually made me tense at the potential implications. "It's a rare talent of mine, and many people in town have said that I'm the best at it."
'What is this lady saying?!!' My cheeks were turning red as I tried to get my head out of the gutter, but it was already too late. My thoughts had already begun to spiral, 'When she says special, does she mean… that kind of special?!'
I didn't know if I was prepared for this, heck I didn't even know this establishment offered those kinds of services!! What was I supposed to do?
'Damn it, it's barely been five months since I came into this world, and I might be swiping that V-card?! What kind of cruel joke is fate playing here?'
I'd had more than my fair share of copes and feels, but I wasn't expecting something like this too. Still though, I'd face this hurdle like a man!!
"Mr. Dragon!"
"Y-yes!!" I snapped out of my fantasies, cheeks still red, as I turned towards the dark elf. Only to see…a crystal ball in her hands, 'Fortune telling, damn it!! I should have known it was too good to be true.' I mentally cursed as a wave of disappointment washed over me and put out the fire that had been ignited deep within. I tried not to let it show by putting on a confused act instead, tilting my sideways. "What kind of things can you see with that?" I asked, both genuinely curious whilst also trying to cover my humiliation.
"Well, let's see…anything really." The dark elf responded with a smile. She must be really confident in her abilities. Still though, the fact that she could see anything meant I could more or less ask anything, within a certain moral bound of course.
"Hmmm." I closed my eyes though. What would I want to see? When will my mother be revived? Or maybe the state of Jura in a decade or so? Heck maybe even something to do with my love life, cause there's no way I'm dying single and a virgin this time around.
I got the skill [Predator] by promising myself I would go on the prowl for women in my next life. Though this is not what I imagined it doesn't change anything!! I'll find that Mrs.Dragon if it's the last thing I do!!
"Oohh I know! Why don't you check who he's destined to be with?!" The green eyed elf whose legs I was on suddenly declared, almost as though she had been reading my mind!
Her sudden declaration caused the chatter on the table to immediately seize as everyone turned to our direction, their curiosities clearly peaked by the topic of my love life! Nosy bastards, the lot of you!!
"That's a great idea, I can do that!" The dark elf proudly declared, bringing my attention back to her again.
'Well I suppose it would be rude to chase them out or something of the sort. Not that I'd been considering it.' I jumped off the green eyed elfs legs and onto the table, giving my full attention to the dark elf.
I wouldn't deny that I was also curious about the possibility of a soul mate of mine being out there. After all, I wanted things that any normal man would want. A wife to come home to and children of my own someday. While it may seem like it's too soon to think about such stuff given my child-like human form and infant dragon body, I often reminded myself that I was above 40 years in mentality. For monsters that may not mean much given their long lifespans, but for someone who was once human, that was old enough to experience a lot.
"Alright then, here goes…" The dark elf called out as she began to wave her hands above the crystal ball she had put in her lap. I felt a small amount of magic leave her and enter the ball as she did so. "Ah, I see something!" She called out as all eyes focused on the ball.
The image swirled for a bit like tides of waters sloshing around within the thing, but eventually it cleared up. Six figures were shown within the orb, one woman and five children all of them with rather somber expressions on their faces. I couldn't help but quickly notice that some of them looked Japanese, especially the adult woman, whilst one of the kids looked to be English. Were they all otherworlders like me?
The vision went on to focus on the Japanese woman for a few more seconds, signifying that she had been the person of interest within it…the one who was supposed to be my soul mate. She was indeed beautiful, and she looked kind and gentle too, if the way she was interacting with those kids was any indication. Had it been my old life, I doubt I would have been able to approach her.
"Now that is a beautiful lady." Kaijin suddenly spoke up, pulling me out of the trance I'd entered as I soaked up as much detail as I could about my destined one.
"Oh, Mr.Dragon, are you per-!!" The dark elf, who'd been perhaps about to tease me, was suddenly drawn towards the crystal ball once more when another vision began to surface. "What's this?" It was clear that she was surprised, but her lack of alarm and concern assured me it was nothing to worry about, so probably just something unusual.
When the next vision cleared up, it showed many women standing together all facing towards this way. Most of them were blurry and unidentifiable, but one could make out things like hair color and eye color, and perhaps even clothing. I could count at least fifteen or so women, six of which were fully visible.
The first person I immediately noticed was Treyni, her glowing spiritual body, vibrant green hair and eyes, and the two vines that went around her body were unmistakable.
Next to her were two oni like monsters that greatly resembled the princess and the purple haired ogres from the ogre village, with some minor differences, the main difference being they looked more human skinwise, their bodies less bulkier and more slim than before.
The princess lookalike was slightly taller, more grown and feminine, almost as though she were a young adult of nineteen to twenty years, compared to the current princess, who passed as a sixteen year old by human standards. Her horns narrower and sharper than they previously were. All in all, she looked more beautiful and refined.
As for the purple haired ogress, she looked a lot less wild, and far more refined and elegant in this image than she did at the moment. Her narrowed and slimmed out body made her assets stand out a lot more than they ever did as an ogre. I'm pretty sure by human standards she'd be a J-Cup with jugs that big. That aside, her facial expression seemed to have an almost childlike innocence to it, though I knew that was just her carefree attitude to almost everything.
The next three I didn't know personally.
The fourth girl was a fish girl of some kind. Alluring and beautiful was not enough to describe her. Exotic red hair, hypnotic green eyes, patches of soft shimmering blue scales on various parts of her skin, webbed hands and fish ears. All in all, she was a beauty, and her slim and curvy figure was no joke either, she sorta reminded me of a fairytale mermaid, but without the fishtail.
The fifth girl was one with short black hair and cold violet eyes. She wore a metal breast plate and a white cloak over it. Strapped to her waist was a sword, thinner than most, so most likely a rapier of some kind. She seemed like the type who could fight, a seasoned warrior, but clearly human. She also seemed to be Japanese judging from her facial features. Another otherworlder?
And lastly was a young elf woman who almost seemed like a child in her late teens. She was indeed beautiful like most would expect of her species. Blue-silver hair that went down past her cheeks and jade green eyes. She had a somewhat mischievous and calculating grin. I could tell from first glance that she was trouble.
The other several figures in the crystal were too blurry to make out, for what reason I wasn't quite sure. Though I could definitely tell that they were humanoid in shape, and feminine too.
What this all meant was beyond me, though I had a few guesses.
"Well, isn't this interesting." The dark elf spoke up as she looked up from the crystal ball towards me with a mischievous grin that filled me with dread, "Turns out Mr.Dragon's love life is far more interesting than we initially thought."
"What do you mean? Is my destined one among the girls that just appeared?" I asked, everyone else seemed just as interested in the response.
"Well, that's not entirely it. Hmm, how do I put this?" The dark elf deliberately dragged on just to lift the suspense. The playful glare I sent her way caused her to giggle, "Alright, alright, I guess the best answer would be that they're all you destined ones!!"
"Eeehhh??!!" The collective cry of everyone on the table, myself included, seemed to surprise the dark elf as she jumped a little.
"Wa-wait, you don't actually mean…"
"That's exactly it, it turns out you may have more than one partner in your life, Mr.Dragon. Though I am rather surprised by the large number of women that will be in your life." The dark elf teased.
'A harem?! There's no way right? This isn't a typical Isekai where the MC gets reborn with OP powers and unknowingly makes a large number of girls fall for him!!' I tried to deny as I rapidly shook my head sideways, 'I couldn't get ONE girlfriend in my previous life, just one, and now here you're telling me I might just have many partners!!' This was just crazy, and maybe a bit unfair to my old self.
"Ahahahaha!!" Kaijins boisterous laugh pulled me out of my thoughts, " You're one lucky man Rimuru! Though maybe a bit greedy too, taking all those beautiful women for yourself!"
"Hey!! I'll have you know I don't have any women yet!!" I called out defiantly
"Oh? So you and Lady Treyni aren't involved? I assumed it was so after I saw her within the crystal." Rigur admitted sheepishly.
"Oh, are you already familiar with some of those ladies Rimuru?" Kaijin asked teasingly.
"I only recognised three of them, but I'm not involved with any of them." I quickly emphasized before they could get any ideas.
I wouldn't deny that there was probably something there for the princess and purple haired ogress, but I hadn't really thought about it as romantic feelings or whatever.
But now…
"Still though, who would have thought one of your future brides would be none other than Hinata Sakaguchi?" Kaijin said, his expression surprisingly turning serious as everyone else on the table actually looked concerned.
Given the name it was easy to conclude that this person was Japanese, and of the women shown from the crystal only two of them fit the description. The first being the lady who had been with the kids, and the second being the only visible human girl in the crowd of women earlier.
"I know right, given her reputation and status, you'd think she wouldn't want to be involved with monsters at all. Wonder what the Western Holy Church would think?" Garm spoke up.
I was instantly concerned when he mentioned something about a church. Being ex-special forces I didn't really have good memories of anything religious. And if memory called, churches were usually associated with some kind of holy or pure magic which was super effective against monsters. Which meant I potentially had a natural enemy already, even if I hadn't known it yet.
The fact that this Hinata girl may be from there was bound to be problematic. Oh well, no point worrying about it right now, that would be future me's problem.
"Not only that, but the elf lady that appeared in that image, wasn't that…" The green eyed elf spoke up as she turned towards the honey blonde elf next to us. Said elf nodded her head in confirmation, meaning they both knew who the elf lady shown in the crystal was. Turning to the other elves on the table I could tell they all knew who she was.
"Are you going to clue us in?" I asked after a few seconds had passed.
"Sorry Mr.Dragon but we can't do that." The lavender dressed mature elf responded with a smile, "Besides, isn't it more exciting if you figure out who she is for yourself!" She added as she clasped her hands in front of her.
I wanted to say no, that she might as well just tell me now since I'd had my share of surprises. But I quickly realized that if they wanted to tell me then they would have done so already. I sensed no ill intent so whoever this elf was must not be someone they feel is a danger to me, or at least they don't believe she would do me harm.
"I guess so…" I relented with a sigh.
"Now that I think about it…'' one of the younger elves on the table suddenly spoke up, her appearance was akin to that of a twelve year old but I knew better than to assume that, "...I've heard that it's not all that uncommon for male dragons to claim multiple lovers and spouses, especially those that are sentient and powerful enough to transform into human form! '' She said out loud with the innocence of a child, though the blush on her cheeks was easily visible.
"Oh? Ey, Rimuru." Garm suddenly called out with a mischievous grin on his face, "I'm pretty sure you have a human form yourself don't you?" He called out, my left eyebrow twitching in minor annoyance at his teasing.
'Haven't I been humiliated enough for one day?!'
"Oh yeah, and despite the young body he has quite the looks!" Dord joined in seeing where his brother was taking this, "I bet given time he'll be quite the looker!"
"Hahaha!! Given all that, it's no wonder he'll amass such a large number of gorgeous women!" Kaijin said as he downed another cup of wine.
I couldn't help but grumble incoherent words as I turned away from everyone. There was a reason I'd chosen to come in here in my current form, if they revealed I had a human form, the elves may not feel as comfortable with the rather generous amount of physical contact they've been giving me.
If these dwarves ruined this for me…
"I wouldn't worry about it too much Mr.Dragon." The dark elf spoke up with a reassuring smile, "No future is set in stone. Fortune telling just shows one of many possible outcomes. The women shown could all be your destined ones, but in the end you may end up with only a few or one of them, or maybe all or none. It's all on you now." She explained.
I took in those words and soaked them up as much as I could. That's right, I was in charge of my own future, the thought of having so many women wasn't something I was against, it had just been an unexpected revelation. Still, I would rather meet these people personally and get to know them before concluding that they were people I'd like to settle down with.
"My, my, now isn't this an interesting sight." A new voice suddenly declared. Turning to my right I saw a man wearing a white cloak held together by two golden brooches. Underneath that he wore a dark brown coat and white shirt.
"Oh great, if it isn't Minister Vesta." Kaijin grumbled, his mood clearly ruined by the presence of this man.
It took a second to connect the dots, but I quickly realized that this was the man responsible for Kaijin more or less losing his job due to the license revoking terms of delivering those magisteel swords.
"To be honest, I'm surprised to see you here, Kaijin. I wasn't sure you could afford such luxuries anymore, given your situation." Vesta said arrogantly as he came closer to our table.
This guy was giving me bad vibes through and through, I just wanted him as far away from me as possible, but I was also curious to see how this would go.
"You know, I recently received word that you had to beg some foreign majin to heal those crippled henchmen of yours. Now I see there was merit to those words." He taunted as he cast a glance towards the three dwarf brothers. I could sense the rage building up on all four dwarves at that, but aside from a tightened fists and minor glares their expressions were schooled, "I wonder what you had to trade in exchange for such a grand favor, you're already a failure and disgrace who isn't allowed to craft weapons within Dwargon's borders and I doubt you had the money to actually pay for said treatment. So pray tell Kaijin, to what devil did you sell your soul?"
Wow…this guy was really laying the asshole attitude real thick. I could tell that Kaijn desperately wanted to sock the guy. He'd not only insulted him, but the dwarf brothers and myself as well. That he hadn't stood up and done so was a testament to his self-control, I doubt I would have been able to do the same. Then again, I most likely would have flared my aura or something, or maybe not…wouldn't want to spook the pretty elves, after all.
"What does it matter to you, Vesta? They're all healed up and better than ever, that's all that matters to me." Kaijin said as he closed his eyes in annoyance and took a sip from his cup, before looking back at the minister with a cheeky smirk, "And as far as jobs go, the four of us are actually set. We found work outside of Dwargon, where I can continue my work with even greater materials and far better pay than what I had here. And it's thanks to Rimuru here!!" Kaijin said as he raised his glass to me, prompting me to do the same.
"I'm the lucky one, really. I came to Dwargon looking for artisans for the town I'm building, and everyone in town referred to Kaijin as the best blacksmith that Dwargon had to offer, with some mentioning the talents of the three brothers that worked closely with him. Their talents stand out, which says a lot given that Dwargon is a nation well known for its craftsmanship." I said, the minister looked shocked to see me speaking up. Whether that was because of my current form or something else I didn't care.
He also seemed to be getting annoyed at the generous amount of praise I was giving the dwarves. Which was the effect I had been aiming for, this guy was a classic asshole with a vendetta against Kaijin. I was gonna rub salt in the wound a bit more just for the kicks of it.
"So naturally, when I met Kaijin and he informed me of his circumstances, I had to pitch in and help. Their lives were negatively impacted whilst in service of Dwargon, and in the end, they were more or less left to themselves. I admit that I may have leveraged his situation, but the results made everyone happy. Kaijin gets to continue his works as a blacksmith, getting to work with better materials than are available here, and a much greater salary. Same with the Dwarf brothers, considering that the town I'm building is from the ground up, they'll really get the chance to show their talents. Said payment will be coming in the form of two large 100% magisteel ores every four years, which I heard is very valuable here in Dwargon. And Kaijin will even be working with such materials regularly." I told the shitty minister maybe a bit too proudly, but I really wanted to rub in his face the fact that all his actions had simply put Kaijin and the dwarf brothers in a much better position than they had been in before.
Both Vesta and the elf ladies gasped at the last part, showing various amounts of shock and surprise.
…oops, maybe I should have held the details of my magisteel reserves to myself for a bit longer. Oh well, what's done is done, no use crying over it now.
《...》
It seemed even [Great Sage] wasn't pleased with my slip up.
"Th-that's not possible! You expect me to believe that such a lowly creature, an infant dragon, has access to 100% magisteel in large quantities?! Don't take me for a fool!" Vesta exclaimed in denial, I wasn't sure whether he really was denying it because I was a monster or because Kaijin and the others would be the ones benefiting from the valuable ores. Still though, it was a somewhat pitiful sight.
"Believe what you want, minister, but that is the truth of the matter. I even gave Kaijin a few ingots of pure magisteel as proof and so I could get some local currency." I countered, to which Kaijin nodded his head in confirmation, this only served to upset the minister more as he began to sneer, not a very good look on him by the way. "Anyways, we came here to celebrate our business agreement and the recovery of the three brothers, so I would appreciate it if you would just kindly leave us."
It was probably too late to try the diplomatic route, especially after the jabs that had been thrown around. But I honestly wanted to go back to drinking and enjoying some pretty elf company. Spending the rest of the night dealing with this guy was a big no on my plans.
"So this is what the renowned Kaijin and company have been reduced to." Vesta said with a dramatic sigh of disappointment, the eyes of the dwarves and I narrowed slightly at that, "To think you would sell out your own country just for more money and a prestigious job? To make matters worse, you're entering the services of a monster, a pathetic baby dragon no less! Are you truly that desperate to craft weapons again Kaijin?"
'Okay, this guy is just asking for an ass whooping!!' For a split second, my control over my aura and magicules almost slipped due to the anger I felt, but I managed to reign it in. I wasn't the only one angry, though, if the way Kaijin had suddenly stood up was any indication, slamming his hands loudly on the table and shocking a few of the elves. Rigur also seemed ready to jump into action, but a single glare his way was enough to keep him seated.
"You better watch it, Vesta. I won't stand here and let you insult Rimuru any further after everything he's done for us!!" Kaijin said as he pointed his hand aggressively at the minister.
Vesta only smirked at this, I knew that he was going to leverage that angle to get under the blacksmith's skin. With guys like these, it was best to give them as little ammo as possible, but Kaijin had just given him an angle to attack by taking offense to the insult at me. Vesta turned towards the lavender dressed elf who was by the counter and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"This is a nice place you have here, a high-class establishment no doubt. What I can't understand is why you would allow monsters here and serve them as though they were any other guest." The minister said as he cast disgusted glances towards Rigur and I.
"While they are monsters, one is just a baby dragon and the other a Hobgoblin, and as you can see they aren't causing any trouble." The elf responded as she tried to reassure him, though I could tell it wasn't going to work. This guy was looking for a fight, or at least a verbal one, he'd straight up lose in a physical situation.
"And yet you acknowledge that they are in fact monsters, or are you implying their behavior suggests otherwise?" Vesta asked, expectedly not letting the situation go. The way he made the pretty elf lady get all nervous ticked me off too, the number of reasons for me to just kick this guys ass regardless of his status just kept on rising the more he talked.
"N-no. Please, Minister Vesta, let's just calm down and enjoy ourselves." The elf said as she went under the counter and brought Vesta a cup of wine, "Here, please take this drink, it's on the house." She said as she held out the cup for him to take.
Vesta didn't look the least bit pleased by her 'peace offering', instead he looked at the cup before glancing my way. A cruel smirk appearing on his face as he snatched the cup.
"Here, let me show you what I'll do with your drink." He said as he swiftly walked towards me. My [Thought Acceleration] activated right as he began to tilt the cup right above my head.
I'd long since sensed his ill intentions through [Desire] and knew he would try something like this. Jumping out of the way was definitely not an option as that would leave the green dressed elf whose legs I was on to take the full brunt of the wine from this bastard. Meaning there was only one option…
' [Predator]!!' I mentally called out as I looked straight up at the incoming liquid. Time resumed normally as a small black vortex of magicules appeared right above my mouth, absorbing all the liquid before it could touch me or the elf lady with me.
"Wh-what the-!!" Vesta, too shocked to say anything, took a few steps back.
"Lord Rimuru are you okay?!" Rigur asked both in concern and shock.
"I'm more than fine." I reassured, before turning towards the green dressed elf, "Are you okay? I hope he didn't get anything on you." I'd be kicking his ass regardless if he messed up her clothing.
"No, I'm all good thanks to you Mr.Dragon! That was really cool!" She responded as she pulled me into a hug, giving me another taste of hooter heaven.
'Man, that seriously pissed me off!! Still though, the guy is a minister. In the end, no harm was done, so best not to get in any unnecessary trouble.' I told myself as I tried to calm down, 'Besides, we'll be gone by tomorrow morning, probably won't see this douchebag for a long time afterwards."
Repeating that a few times to myself, I was able to calm down and keep myself from doing anything rash.
…unfortunately, the same could not be said for Kaijin.
"Vesta!!" The blacksmith dwarf was standing in front of the minister before I could even properly process what was going on. His fist, which was reared back, was quickly thrown forward, connecting with Vesta's face with a surprisingly heavy impact. The minister was pushed back a couple of steps from the strike.
Several gasps filled the elf club, from the elves, the dwarf brothers, and even the attendant who had apparently come with Vesta were all surprised to see that someone actually had the audacity to strike Vesta in public, and in front of so many witnesses, given his status.
As for me, I was impressed, jealous, and mildly concerned. I wish I'd been the one to actually sock the jackass, but I had a feeling that for Kaijin, it was a lot more personal than just the events that had transpired tonight, so I was willing to let him have this one.
"Y-You brute!! Do you know who I am?!" Vesta cried in shock as he held the rapidly swelling bruise on his right cheek.
"Just shut up already!! Haven't you already done enough?! Setting me up for the failure of the Magisteel Soldier Project, giving me an impossible order just so my license would be revoked, the same order that resulted in three of my closest friends being bedridden! And now you're mocking all the suffering we went through these last few months because of you?! You really are an asshole, Vesta!" Kaijin shouted, venting his frustrations as he threw yet another punch and connected with Vesta's other cheek, pushing him back another few steps.
By this point, Vesta was every bit the coward I had imagined him to be. Despite being taller, he made no effort to even protect himself, I doubt he even knew how. As much as I wanted to see the guy get beat up some more, I knew that heavy injuries would only land Kaijin in more trouble.
"Kaijin, aim for the body, not the face!!" I called out. Body wounds were far less visible to others.
However, my words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Kaijin's next punch connected with Vesta's nose, and a sickening crunch sound was heard, yeah that nose was definitely broken. The force of the blow pushed Vesta into his attendant and both of them were knocked onto the ground. With the former being unconscious.
We all watched in silence at the scene that had unfolded in front of us. Kaijin must have had a lot of pent up anger if he broke the guy's nose.
Still though, this was bound to get him into a lot of trouble, so it was best I do something to at least cover our hides a little bit.
With that in mind I hopped off the elf lady's legs, much to my internal disappointment, and transformed into my human form. Within a second I stood as an adolescent child within the elf bar, earning multiple gasps and whispers from the elves themselves. Though for the moment I paid them no mind as I walked up to Kaijin.
"Kaijin, are you sure that was wise? He is a minister, after all." I asked as I looked at the downed minister. His face was already getting all swollen and his nose bleeding and clearly bent in a direction it wasn't meant to face.
Kaijin really didn't hold anything back huh.
"Probably not, but he had it coming. After everything he put me through, and the insults he threw around tonight, he actually deserves a lot more than this." Kaijin said unrepentantly, clearly not apologetic for his actions, not that I could blame him for feeling the way he felt.
"Okay then. But still, you broke the guys nose, that's bound to land us in some serious trouble." I said, as much as I didn't want to, it would probably be a good idea if I healed him. Though it still sucked that I had to waste my valuable potions on this jackass.
《Notice: In-depth analysis of the full potion and hipokute herbs has been completed. You have successfully acquired the [Magic Art: Greater Heal].》
'Perfect timing as usual [Great Sage], though when did you start analyzing those?' I didn't remember asking it to do anything like that. Not that I was complaining, I could certainly see the value of having healing magic. It meant I could now also heal others myself in the event that magic potions were unavailable.
《Answer: Analysis began after the successful operation of the three dwarf brothers. Use of healing magic would have been more efficient than potions.》
'Good to know…' I acknowledged with a hum. If this spell really was based on the full potions and hipokute herbs, that meant it was just as effective if not more so.
I shook my head sideways and returned to the task at hand. Healing the jackass of a minister.
" [Greater Heal]!" I called out as I stretched my hand toward the minister, releasing a wave of green energy that washed over Vesta. Within seconds the swelling on his face was gone and his nose was back in place. "There, this way even if the guy does charge us with assault, it won't be as bad as it would have been if the injuries were still there."
"You're too kind Rimuru." Kaijin said with a sigh as he shook his head sideways, though the smile on his face made it clear that he wasn't really upset about me healing Vesta.
"No I'm not, I'd just rather not face heavy punishment for a guy like Vesta, it's just not worth it." I responded.
Leaving things as they were would most definitely have resulted in more than just a fine. Especially with the number of witnesses present, at least this way there would be room for us to wiggle our way out of.
A few moments later, our group stood outside in shackles as the still unconscious Vesta was carried on a stretcher. We were all put into a holding cell for the night, with the prison guard telling us that we'd be facing trial tomorrow. This was not how I imagined the night ending.
Drunk, maybe, but stuck in a prison cell whilst completely . Well, it sucked. But at least I enjoyed the time I'd spent at that elf establishment, and had even learned a few things about my possible future.
~~~
The following morning came by faster than I thought. I'd reverted back to my dragon form for a more comfortable sleeping position on the floor. Meaning I didn't face the level of discomfort that the others had felt.
It wasn't long before the palace guards came to get us, and we were taken to the palace to stand trial. I debated turning into my human form, but decided against it since Vesta had only seen me in that form and had most likely mentioned my true form, so there was no point hiding it.
The dwarves and Rigur were all chained together in shackles whilst the guards put a collar around my neck. Now that pissed me off, I wasn't some tame beast! I was a fucking dragon!! Even though every fiber of my body was screaming to tear this damn thing off, I just barely managed to contain myself.
When we arrived at the castle, I immediately took note of all the armed knights that stood along the court walls. I also took note of the person that would be defending us, the guy was giving off vibes that were shady as hell. I wouldn't trust this guy with my life, which unfortunately is the situation I found myself in. More than that, however, I was surprised by the mere sight of Vesta. The guy looked like a glorified mummy! The guy had many bandages wrapped around the upper parts of his body. One long one around his forehead, a bandage on both cheeks and a small one on his nose, heck his right arm was in a sling of all things!!
'Oh boy, all of a sudden I'm not feeling very confident about this trial.' I thought with a frown. I should have considered the fact that Vesta would play dirty and do something like this, it was a lack of foresight on my part. 'Still though, just how much does this guy want to screw us over?!'
Kaijin had given a summarized version of his history with Vesta. Their time together in the military, the magisteel soldier project and Vesta making Kaijin take the blame for its failure. It was clear this guy was jealous of Kaijin, for what reason it didn't matter. But that vendetta ran deep, and Vesta likely wouldn't stop until Kaijin was six feet under or something. I hated these types of bullies, the kind who wanted to watch their victims suffer for an eternity without any moment of peace or joy.
"His majesty, Gazel Dwargo, will now enter!!" One of the knights shouted. Immediately everyone stood up straight and at attention, before they went down on one knee. Rigur was a little lost for a second before just doing what everyone else was doing, I merely lowered my head slightly. I could afford to show respect to the king of the nation at least.
The loud sound of footsteps echoed in the courtroom before the source of it all made an appearance. The king was a large muscular dude of dark skinned color, he wore armor plating that made him look even bigger and more intimidating. His expression and composure certainly didn't give off friendly vibes either. This guy wasn't here to joke around, though what would one expect from the king of a whole nation.
Still, to think that the king would be the one that's presiding over our case, I don't know if I should be more concerned or not. With Vesta as a member of his royal court it may make him more inclined to believe the minister.
With that, the trial began. Dwargon laws explicitly stated that nobody was allowed to speak within the court without the king's permission, hence the reason for our defendant. Unfortunately the guy seems to be in Vesta's pocket.
He did nothing to defend our case, which was his actual job, and instead portrayed us as the villains who disturbed Vesta whilst he was drinking within the establishment.
"Looks like he's been bought. Though I can't say I'm surprised." Kaijin whispered lowly.
'This sucks balls!! If we can't even speak, how do we defend ourselves in such cases?!' I wondered, I wasn't going to go to prison for a lie. I'd sooner fight my way out of this place.
"And is that the whole truth?" The judge asked our defendant.
"Yes, without a shadow of a doubt." He responded naturally with a bow. He'd spun that web of lies perfectly, and didn't give away anything. This guy had obviously done this kind of shady business before.
"King Gazel," Vesta called out as he took a few steps forward before going down on one knee, "Having heard this testimony, I ask that you pass your strictest judgment upon these hooligans!" He requested as he gestured towards all of us. I couldn't help the way my eyebrow twitched in annoyance. If I had to fight my way out, that guy was gonna be the first to die, I swear!
The king watched the proceedings without a word, I could feel him carefully eying all of us.
"We have reached a verdict. First of all, Kaijin, the main offender, you will be sentenced to twenty years in the mines!" The judge called out. Damn this wasn't looking good, "And next, his accomplices, they will serve ten years. That is all, the court is now adjourned."
'Oh hell no!!' We were totally busting out of here the moment an opportunity rose. I wasn't going to spend the next ten years of my new life doing forced labor!
"Wait." The deep voice of the king suddenly called out, causing all to stop and pay attention, "Kaijin, it's been some time. How have you been doing?" The king asked. Did Kaijin know the king personally? He hadn't mentioned that! There may still be a way out of this, after all!
"I've been doing as well as I could be given the circumstances, my king." Kaijin said as he quickly got down on one knee.
"Hmmm…" was that guilt I felt from the king? [Desire] let me feel his emotions, but his face was so schooled I wouldn't have been able to tell he felt that way without it. "Kaijin, would you be interested in returning to my ranks?"
Oh? Now this was an interesting development. Did the king want Kaijin back as a blacksmith or as a knight, I wasn't sure, but I couldn't help but wonder what Kaijin himself would do.
Seeing Vesta get shocked and jealous was also amusing to see.
This was the chance for Kaijin to regain the reputation that he had lost as a result of losing his license. Not to mention the request was coming from the king himself. I could feel the internal conflict within the blacksmith as he thought it over for a few seconds, before coming to a swift choice.
"While it would be an honor to serve you once again my king, I'm afraid I have already sworn my service and loyalty to another." Kaijin said as he raised his head to meet the king's eye, "My word and my oath are the greatest treasures I own, and that's why I could never forsake them. Even if you ordered me to do so."
"Such insolence!!" One of the knights next to the king shouted, the ones on the ground all pointing their weapons at Kaijin. The king and Kaijin still remained in eye contact.
"...I see, very well then." The king said after a few seconds, before lifting his hand. signaling the knights to put away their weapons. The king then turned his eyes towards me, "I took some time to look into this case due to some rumors I heard about the majin involved. Vesta, remove your bandages." The King ordered as he stood up from his seat and turned towards the minister with a glare.
"P-pardon?" The guy was just as confused as we all were, this was not the way I expected things to go.
"I'd like to see the extent of your 'injuries' for myself. The bandages on your head and face should be enough." The king said impatiently.
'Holy shit!! The dude knows!!' The king clearly knew that Vesta had been trying to play the court and him!
He said he had looked into the case, more than likely he asked someone he trusted to do it, maybe they asked the elf ladies at the establishment what had happened? That was the only possible answer to all this. They had been there when I healed Vesta's wounds, and if the king knew about that, then that meant he also knew that Vesta's bandages were just for show and dramatic purposes.
"Well, Vesta?" Gazel asked impatiently as he cast a glare towards the now shaking minister.
There was no way out of this for the bastard. And if he took too long, the guards were more likely to tear off those bandages themselves.
"M-my king. For wh-what reason cou-"
"Are you questioning my orders, Vesta?" Gazel asked with a glare, his soldiers tightening their grips on their weapons.
At this point, I almost felt sorry for Vesta, almost. The guy was shaking like a leaf, visible for all to see. If they hadn't known he was lying before, then they definitely knew now.
"N-no sir." Vesta responded as he shakily reached for the bandage wrapped around his head and began to unwrap it. Once unraveled he let the bandage fall to the ground, revealing his unharmed forehead. The guy couldn't even bring himself to look up as he undid the bandages on his nose and cheeks, shamefully looking down with tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.
I wasn't moved, besides after everything he had done, I wouldn't take pity on this guy.
"Well Vesta, do you have anything to say for yourself?" King Gazel asked the unharmed minister scrutinizingly. Vesta, too ashamed, couldn't even look up at the king.
"No sir…I have nothing to say." He mumbled, looking like a broken man. I could tell that Kaijin was feeling a certain amount of pity for the man. Turns out he's actually the kind one and not me.
"Very well then, I shall pass my judgment." King Gazel said, voice raised to address all present, "I hereby renounce the punishment of Kaijin and his companions. As for Vesta, for attempting to deceive this court, I shall strip you of your status and rank with immediate effect. You are to never show yourself to me again! Court Adjourned!"
And that was how the trial came to an end. I honestly thought that Vesta was let off a bit too easily, but all things considered I'm fine with whatever punishment as long as we're not in any trouble.
Surprisingly the king asked us to stay behind after the trial and the six of us were taken to a waiting room. I had a few ideas as to what he could want judging by what he had said about looking into me during the trial.
I suppose I had made bigger waves than I initially thought with the restoration of the dwarf brothers, and he might have caught wind of the fact that I had access to large amounts of 100% magisteel since I mentioned that in the elf bar. Could that also have played a part in getting out of these trials?
I wasn't sure, but I guess I wasn't against coming to some sort of agreement with him if he wanted my valuable items. It would probably be a good idea to start building some alliances for future purposes.
The forest of Jura wouldn't be as strong and terrifying to the surrounding populace without my mother, and only those within its borders knew of my existence. At this point it was crucial to come together and build as many connections as possible.
But there was no hurry, only foolish people run into agreements without getting a proper measurement of the individual they are dealing with. King Gazel may have seemed pretty cool in the courts, but one action does not reflect his true nature, that is something that I hoped to get a deeper insight to with this meeting.
I was pulled from my thoughts when the door was knocked on twice before opening and in came a middle-aged man with light blonde hair, thick eyebrows, and a sharp nose. He wore standard knights armor.
"Thank you for your patience, the king will see you now." The man said before gesturing for us to follow him. So we did just that, though I did switch into my human form before leaving.
It just felt more proper to have an audience with the king of a nation in this form rather than speaking to him whilst in dragon form.
Along the way Kaijin informed me that this man was one of the king's most trusted soldiers and that his name was Dorf. I filed that information for later.
We were eventually taken to a rather nice and well decorated room, within it the Hero King of the Dwarves stood by the windows at the opposing end of the room, looking out into the city. Dorf announced our presence before King Gazel turned towards us, his eyes quickly settling on me.
"So, you're the majin in possession of those valuable magisteel." The king opened, as I thought, this was the main reason he had asked to speak with me.
"Yes, well, I took as many as I could, mainly as a bargaining chip since we monsters don't really have any money for trading. It wasn't until recently that I learnt their actual value in craftsmanship." A small lie at the end. Then again it was easy to believe considering that monsters mainly used barter trade as a means to get what they want.
"And may I ask where you got them from?" The hero king asked with a minor glare. An attempt at intimidation? Well that wasn't going to work on me, but I had no qualms with sharing the location.
"I got them from my place of birth. The cave of the Storm Dragon Veredia." The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed as all but Rigur suddenly looked at me in shock and surprise, to be honest it completely slipped my mind that I hadn't told the dwarves my heritage. Guess I'd just gotten that friendly with them after everything. "It was a short while after my birth, give or take, three months ago. I found tonnes of magic ores and hipokute herbs in the cave and took as many of them with me as I could." I explained with a shrug of my shoulder as if it was nothing at all,choosing to play it cool.
"That claim is a little…ridiculous. The storm dragon's most well known magical offshoot would be Charybdis. And your level of intelligence suggests you're nothing like any of the other offshoots of the storm dragon." Gazel said as he narrowed his eyes at me, "But your aura and magic, try as you may to suppress and hide them, do feel eerily similar to that of the Storm Dragon. So much so that it's rather uncanny."
Well shit, this guy was onto me, I suppose I had stopped hiding it the moment I told him I was born in the sealed cave.
"Yes, as I mentioned to Kaijin and the dwarf brothers, I am the Elemental Dragon known as Rimuru Tempest." I said before pausing for dramatic effect for a few seconds, "But what I DIDN'T mention is that I am the son and true heir of the Storm Dragon, Veredia Tempest herself. Born of her flesh and blood, not a magic offshoot." I went on to reveal.
Everyone except Rigur was deeply shocked at the revelation. My mother had quite the reputation across the lands as the infamous Evil Dragon, notorious for her destructive rampages. So for them to suddenly get news of her having an offspring must be very worrying indeed.
And unlike the powerful monsters simply born of her Magicules, I was her DIRECT offspring, granting me power, potential, and intelligence FAR exceeding any of them. So they would naturally be wary of me.
"Wait Rimuru are you being serious right now?!" Kaijin asked, breaking into the conversation, the guy had a bead of sweat rolling down the left side of his head.
"Yeah, it's the truth. Sorry I didn't mention it earlier, but I was hoping to keep my existence quiet for a little while longer." I said as I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly, "The Jura forest is in a rather fragile state at the moment since the disappearance of my mother, and news of my existence would only bring trouble from those who'd view me as a potential threat due to my mothers destructive tendencies."
"Sheesh, that's a lot to process though Rimuru. Son of the Storm Dragon?! Talk about high class employers!" Kaijin muttered as he shook his head sideways while stepping back.
I turned back to the hero king who seemed to have been deep thought yet keenly aware of his surroundings. He was probably thinking about how the rest of this talk would affect things like relations and his kingdom in general.
"I would flare my aura a bit to prove myself, but doing so would more than likely cause the people in this building mass panic." I added, king Gazel had already said something about being about to partially see through my [hideform] technique which I had been using to mask my aura. Meaning he knew I was stronger than I claimed to be, just not how strong.
"That won't be necessary, nobody would be foolish enough to use the name of the storm dragon so casually, let alone claiming to be her direct offspring." King Gazel said with a sigh, before looking at me straight in the eye, "I do have one question however. Rimuru Tempest, what are your intentions?"
"As my mother's heir and the current lord and guardian of the forest, my primary concern is protecting the Great Forest of Jura and all of its inhabitants, along with improving the lives of all the sentient monsters who call it home, or at least those who will follow me, as opposed to picking fights with other nations or conquering others. While I loved my mother, I don't agree with her history of destructive behavior." I said. "With my mother currently gone, tensions will undoubtedly rise and the nations that border the forest, including the Demon Lord territories and the surrounding human nations, are potentially likely to make power plays in the future, and I wish to be ready to defend our home if it comes down to that. I'd rather not fight, but I'd be a fool to expect others not to capitalize on my mother's disappearance." I explained, making sure to point out that I had no ill intentions.
"I see." King Gazel said as he closed his eyes in thought, "Regarding the storm Dragon Veredia, your mother, would you happen to know the cause of her disappearance?"
"Unfortunately no, My egg hatched away from where she was sealed up within the cave, but I did meet and speak with her. She was the one who granted me the name Rimuru, granting me her protection. She told me a bit about this world and what I should expect before telling me to find my way out. By the time I reached the surface of the cave her aura had vanished. Naturally I went back down to check, but she was gone." I explained, this was the story I had come up with and the one I would be sticking to until the day I released my mother from my [Stomach].
《Warning: Attempt of mental intrusion by the individual Gazel Dwargo!!
Repelling attempt…
Repelling of the [Unique Skill: Tyrant] successful!
Analysis of the [Unique Skill: Tyrant] successful!
Utilizing [copy] to replicate the sub-skill [Thought Reading]...
Successful, [Thought Reading] has been acquired!》
'What the heck?!' There was a lot to unpackage there, but the first thing on the list was the fact that King Gazel had apparently tried to pry into my head, 'Not cool man, not cool!'
"King Gazel, while I understand your desire for answers. I'd rather you not resort to mental intrusion." I said to the shocked king, more than likely surprised that I had managed to block his attempt at reading my mind.
"heheheHAHAHAHA!!" The guy just started laughing in a way that actually spooked me a little bit, "That's the first time somebody has ever detected let alone blocked the effects of my unique skill! Truly you are a fascinating creature Rimuru, allow me to apologize for prying into your mind, or rather attempting to do so."
"It's fine, I can understand wanting to be thorough for the sake of your people." I said with the wave of my hand. He didn't get anything from my mind, so there was no use making a big deal out of things.
"Your goal is an admirable one Rimuru, and I wish you success in your endeavor. When you've successfully established the foundation of your nation I hope you'll reach out to me again, perhaps we could form an alliance." Gazel said with a grin.
'Woah, hold on!! Who said anything about forming a nation?!' I was initially shocked by the idea, but then again the more I thought about it the more it made sense that he would think so.
Not to mention it may not actually be a bad idea. Considering that we were surrounded on all sides, and without the protection of a True Dragon, the most logical course of action was for the different tribes of Jura to band together and form a single nation. They would be far stronger together than they would be individually.
The problem was that monsters in general were prideful creatures, and getting them to work together without a powerful figure to lead and control them would be next to impossible.
Which brought about the next question.
Was I really ready to lead an entire nation?
My past life experiences would be of no use to me in such a position. This is different to leading team missions or other military jobs. This would involve lots of politics, and I'd be responsible for millions of lives if all went well.
To be honest I wasn't sure, but the circumstances make the man right?
"Are you sure about that? You do realize you're talking about aligning yourself with monsters right?" I asked King Gazel.
I wasn't foolish enough to believe that forming a nation of monsters would be enough to deter humans, if anything they may feel the need to attack sooner before said nation becomes too big a threat.
"I'm sure. Rimuru, with your heritage and strength it's only a matter of time until you seize control over the entire forest of Jura, and when you do, you'll have access to wealth and power beyond your wildest dreams, having someone to back you up would only serve to benefit you." King Gazel said, to which I nodded my head in understanding. Having Dwargons backing would certainly help with any future relations we may try to build.
"Please give me some time to think about it. As it stands I'm trying to build a single goblin village, that's a far cry from the nation you have in mind." I responded, grateful as I was, I wasn't going to rush into things considering I hadn't even thought about building a nation up until he mentioned it.
It was a pretty big deal to build a nation of monsters, I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to unify the races of Jura. I'd rather not force anything with brute force.
《Notice: With your power and heritage as the son and heir of the Storm Dragon, along with the steadfast loyalty of the Dryads, the Hobgoblins, Tempest Wolves, and Ogres as a basis, the odds of succeeding in building a prosperous nation of monsters is approximately 87.3%. The support of the Dwarves and their services increases the odds to 96.91%》
'You make it sound like the ogres are already subordinates of mine or something.' It was good to know that I'd have a good foundation though.
《Likelihood of ogres submitting to you within a short time span of your return is 98%.》
'Yeah, I figured as much. They respect power and strength, and more than that they have a great respect for my mother as their guardian and lady.'
"I appreciate the trust and goodwill you are extending to me, King Gazel. I can tell you have the genuine interests of your people at heart as opposed to your own self-interest, and you show a greater deal of open-mindedness than most leaders would show to a leader of monsters, especially given the infamous reputation of my mother. I'll be sure to keep you and your kingdom in mind as a trustworthy and reliable ally if I do decide to form a nation." I told him. "As a sign of goodwill in regards to future trade between our nations, I would like you to have these."
I pulled out over 100 pounds of large 100% Magisteel ores out of my [Stomach], along with five barrels of Full Potion.
"These ores are made of 100% pure high-grade Magisteel, and within these barrels are Full Potions, capable of healing virtually anything short of death. Those are the ones that I used to heal the dwarf brothers." I said proudly, maybe showing off a little bit as King Gazel, Dorf, Kaijin and the dwarf brothers all looked on in shock at the materials that I was just casually handing out.
"Thank you for this. And about your healing of the dwarf brothers, I actually wanted to ask you about that." King Gazel said, causing me to look at him curiously.
To make a long story short, the king was curious about the methods I'd used when healing the three brothers. And so I gave him a basic rundown of the surgery(translating what Great Sage told me). Asking for a live demonstration King Gazel and Dorm took me to an infirmary that held a knight who'd been brought in for this specific reason.
Apparently the guy was a valued soldier during his glory days, but lost his right arm in battle. Still the king valued him even as an individual so had continued to keep him within his ranks. They were basically taking advantage of this opportunity for me to heal him while their resident doctors took notes on how I healed and restored his arm using the full potion.
The guys surgery was far less complicated than dealing with the Dwarf brothers, something I made sure to tell the doctors, meaning we were done within minutes. Now the guy just needed some sleep to regain the energy used to regrow the new limb.
"Thank you again for doing this Rimuru. I'm sure this knowledge will go a long way into improving medical practices." King Gazel said with an appreciative nod after everything was said and done, "And with the full potions you left with us, others who were affected by the mines collapse that crippled the dwarf brothers will also get a chance to get their lives back."
"No problem glad I could help out."
And thus our trip in Dwargon came to an end…
~~~
"That turned out to be quite the adventure huh." I muttered, it was now well past noon with the sun starting to make its descent. Looking back where we came from I could see the gates of Dwargon not too far away.
"Aye, but everything seemed to have worked out just fine. So there's no need for concern." Kaijin responded with a smile of his own as he looked towards his home. I could tell that he was going to miss this place, same with the other dwarves. "Besides this is a new chapter in our lives, and I for one can't wait to get started!"
"Then it's time for us to head home. Ranga, come out." I called out, causing the Tempest Wolf leader to come out of my shadow. Rigur doing the same with the Tempest Wolf in his shadow.
"You called, Master?!" Ranga eagerly asked.
"Whoa, Rimuru! You have Direwolves under your command too?!" Kaijin asked in amazement.
"They're actually Tempest Wolves, the evolved form of Direwolves." I clarified before looking at Ranga and the other wolf. "Can you two give all of us a ride back to the forest?"
"Of course, Master!" Ranga responded eagerly as he and the other tempest wolf grew to their full sizes in order to better accommodate us.
After each wolf took 3 of us, we quickly reunited with the others, and subsequently returned to the Great Forest of Jura. Where new journeys would be awaiting us back home.
Authors Note:
Well this was certainly one of the longest chapters I've ever written thus far, but then again a lot of stuff happened in this chapter.
From Rimuru's sinking in hooter heaven, partying with the elves, Vesta ruining the mood, the court session, meeting the hero king and coming to an agreement. Certainly makes for quite a memorable adventure doesn't it.
Now I'll probably get a lot of slander for that harem bit, but rest assured I fully intend to build these relationships, and it won't be stacked quickly. If you can guess who the others are I'll give you props and confirm it in your PM, wouldn't want to spoil it for the rest of the audience. But only if you get all of them correct.
That being said I have two other announcements I want to make.
The first being that I want to introduce a Q system in this fic, where I more or less answer questions that are asked regarding the story, ofc spoilers are not allowed. So feel free to ask, the goal is to create a more interactive environment and perhaps even get an idea or two from my audience in regards to where this stroy should go. I already have a path laid out, but Omni-Creator(my co-author) and I are flexible enough to work around any good ideas.
The second being I want to start posting an update of Rimuru's skills every 5 chapters. The reason is so viewers can also keep a tab on what skills he has since they will be variations from cannon. Since I didn't do this in chapter 10 I'll do the first one now lol!
Rimuru Skill List:
Intrinsic Skills: [Fire Breath, [Dragon Eye, [Dragon Body, [Keen Sense, [Storm Magic, [Dragon Aura, [Rapid Regeneration]
Extra Skills: [Water Manipulation, [Black Lightning, [Black Wind, [Magic Sense, [Shadow Movement, [Sticky-Steel Thread, [Thought Reading, [Shapeshift]
Unique skills:
Great Sage: [Thought Acceleration, [Analytical Appraisal, [Parallel Operation, [Chant Annulment] and [All of Creation]
Apex Predator: [Predation, [Analysis, [Stomach, [Mimicry, [Isolation] and [Assimilation].
Desire: [Copy, [Replication, [Skill Disable] and [Drainage]
Common Skills: [Paralysis Breath, [Poison Breath, [Thought Communication, [Voice Cannon, [Body Armour].
I wont bother will lesser skills that have been absorbed by extra skills or the subskills of unique skills. I'm taking about things like water blade and all that. But this should give you a gist of his skills.
Anyways please feel free to comment, like and I look forward to your questions. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Got a lot of hate from some guy on AO3 and that wasn't fun.