Alright, next chapter is in!! Now before we get started I just wanted to address something real quick. Due to some stuff I've shifted to updating every three weeks instead of two. school and other stuff slowing down progress.

But I will update earlier when the time allows so dont quit on me yet!!

Anyways this chapter is more of a in between kind of thing. First time doing one of these so let me know what you all think. As always I welcome constructive criticism!.

Without further delay lets dive in!!!

It had been a month since my return to the ogre village, and things seemed to have fallen back into the same old routine as prior to my leave, well for the most part. Wake up early in the morning with the rest of the ogres for their early training session, which was mainly sparring with the elder for me or practicing my kata.

The old man had apparently thought I may have been slacking off in my training during the time that I was gone. He was glad to see me prove him wrong. I had taken every opportunity I could to train my body and mind whilst I was in the goblin village, with [Great Sage] giving me plenty of advice on mental cultivation and meditation techniques.

Aside from sword practice, I'd also been working on my personal martial arts style, the one [Great Sage] had created and optimized using my knowledge on various manga and anime. I'd all but perfected my dragon claw art by now and was now in the process of creating another dragon related art.

I'd also taken this time to also help Ranga train. While non-humanoid monsters tended to be limited in the range of arts they could learn, it didn't mean they couldn't learn any at all. At the moment, I had him trying to gather his aura around his front claws in an attempt to recreate his own version of my dragon claw art, maybe later on I'd have him attempt the same with his fangs. If Ranga could learn these techniques, and even teach Raya and the other tempest wolves, then they would grow that much stronger as a pack.

Aside from that, Ranga had also been practicing his [lightning manipulation] extra skill. Thus far he only had one art under it called [lightning bolt]. It allowed him to summon a bolt of yellow lightning from the sky to strike his target and it definitely seemed strong too, the ogres had been impressed when he vaporized an entire tree and shattered some rocks with this move.

However, I wanted to increase his range of arts he could use under this skill. Which is why I was following a very Pokémon like training regime for Ranga when it came to his overall training. Taking inspiration from electric type Pokémon and seeing if we could perhaps implement similar moves with Ranga. [Great Sage] had already confirmed that the chances for succeeding with this idea were 78%. Meaning it was more than plausible, I had so many ideas of what moves I wanted Ranga and his pack to learn.

I'd also taken the time to start experimenting some with my new skills, namely [Black Lightning, [Black Wind, [Shadow Movement, and [Thought Reading].

The first two I made sure to practice away from the village, mainly due to being unsure as to what would happen if I lost control or simply put in too much power. Which later turned out to be the right choice, as I accidentally lived up to the title, Son of the Storm Dragon.

[Black Lightning] turned out to be a much stronger version of Ranga's [Lightning manipulation] skill, probably due to the storm magic element mixed into it, thus far I only had two arts for it, the first being [lightning bolt] which was identical to Ranga's ability but stronger and larger in size, oh and the lightning was black of course. The second was a sword art called [lighting strike]. The name was basic but that's because it was meant to be self-explanatory, basically I infuse my blade with black lightning and strike at my foe. Its damage output depended on the amount of power put into it and it had a chance of stunning or paralyzing my opponent.

[Black Wind] turned out to be trickier than I thought it would be. Basically, it allowed me to produce and manipulate black currents of wind that I could shape as I pleased given practice and proficiency. The tricky part was that this wind was very corrosive, all living things that seemed to come into contact with it would start to decay, be it trees or wild monsters I tested it against. [Great Sage] assured me that this was something I could control, and that those with my divine protection or similar true dragon magic to my mother's would not be affected by these decaying effects. According to [Great Sage, the decaying effects of black wind were similar to that of the [Rot] skill, only much stronger and more potent, meaning it would be much more painful and harder to heal from. Breathing in this air was a quick way to get yourself killed, and because of that, I had to be extremely careful with this skill so it didn't end up harming my allies.

[Shadow Movement] turned out to be a rather fun skill to have, it basically allowed me to cover large distances instantly, almost like teleportation. However, its range was limited depending on the strength of the user, meaning some would have to be jumping in and out of shadows if they wanted to travel a large distance like say from one from the ogre village to the goblin village. As it stood, the tempest wolves and I could make such a trip with ease and instantly travel between both villages. According to [Great Sage, strength and proficiency were the ones that determined the range of one's 'jump' in a single movement.

Using Dwargon and the goblin village as another example, [Great Sage] explained that I could theoretically make it in a single jump, Ranga and Raya may need three jumps and two 'pit stops' and the other tempest wolves would need double that. Regardless of the pit stops, using [Shadow Movement] cut a great deal of time when it came to traveling, and I could already see the potential trade advantages of having such a skill in the near future. Transportation of goods that would usually take weeks could be done in mere hours with such a skill.

Lastly was the skill [Thought Reading, this was the sub-skill of the [Unique Skill: Tyrant] that I had copied from Gazel Dwargo. I'd been a bit hesitant about using this, especially on the goblins and ogres as it felt immoral, but I quickly let go of such hesitations. I needed to learn to use this skill properly, it would be very useful in future endeavors.

I'd even gotten the idea of using [Thought Reading] alongside [Desire, this allowed me to both read one's thoughts as well as their emotions. If I used the latter skill correctly, I'd even be able to manipulate an individual's emotions, indirectly controlling their thoughts in the process.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to try out this combination as it requires me having a drawn out conversation with people, and I don't feel comfortable using such a skill on the people I'm close with, such as the ogre chief and his family, along with the elder. So thus far, I'd only stuck with reading the minds of those I wasn't quite as close with.

It had been interesting to hear the thoughts of the goblins, wolves, and ogres, especially when pertaining to me.

The wolves naturally saw me as the one true leader and master of their pack, from reading their thoughts, I'd been able to gather that while they would gladly follow Ranga and Raya, their true loyalty lay with me. If ordered, they would gladly turn on the two superior wolves. I didn't know whether I should be happy with that or concerned…

Moving on, reading the minds of the goblins, I wasn't that surprised by their thoughts. For lack of a better term, they revered me, saw me as something akin to a savior. Which made sense, given that they used to be at the bottom of the food chain, they were but mere prey for almost any other creature in the forest, but thanks to me, they had evolved and gotten much stronger and their lives were far better. They weren't the strongest creatures in the forest, far from it, but they were vastly more capable.

Then lastly, there were the ogres, their thoughts of me were just about what I'd expected of them just by studying their culture. They had a great deal of respect for me and the strength that I held. Even though they didn't know the true extent of my power, they knew it was far beyond theirs, meaning I was worthy of their respect. Being the son of Veredia, the young lord of the land, and the new guardian of the forest also seemed to have increased the amount of respect they have for me.

Zegion and Apito had been a bit unique when reading their thoughts. I hadn't interacted with them as much as I should have, given they were among the strongest in the goblin village, something I'd be sure to fix.

I was a bit surprised when Zegion's thoughts mainly consisted of nothing but the desire to grow stronger for my sake of all things. From what I gathered, he felt indebted to me and he wanted to be worthy of my protection by being of more use to me. The level of subservience there was a bit surprising, but if it motivated him to work hard and grow stronger, then I wasn't going to complain.

Apito was more or less the same in her thoughts, she was hard at work both in training and in honey production, due to wanting to contribute more to my goals. Though I was pretty sure I hadn't said anything about having a goal to them. Still though, the amount of honey she was producing by using her drone bees to collect pollen from the Dryad territory was actually surprising, so again there were no complaints.

All in all, [Thought Reading] reading was a pretty neat skill to have, but I made sure not to rely on it too much. I already had that habit with [Desire, so it would be bad if I constantly used both of them.

~~~

"I see, so you're taking her fishing?" The ogre chief said as he stroked his beard in thought.

Today was a bit of a breather day for me, I wasn't going to be joining the hunting party or involving myself in any of the village affairs. That said, laying around all day was boring so I decided to go fishing. Ranga apparently knew a good spot, and was more than happy to take me. Seeing the opportunity, I'd also decided to bring the purple ogress along.

She'd made a lot of progress in her culinary skills over the last month. While it still tasted bad, it no longer emitted the aura of an A-rank monster nor did it burn your taste buds on contact, heck even the appearance now resembled that of poorly done food rather than the monstrosity it used to be. It was a sign of progress and good things in the near future.

I wanted to bring her along this trip to introduce the delights of sea food. While the ogres did eat fish from time to time, the goal here was to have her prepare fish she had caught herself. There was nothing more satisfactory than cooking a meal you worked hard to catch yourself.

"Yes, I initially planned to go alone, just to take it easy for the day, but then I figured it'd be a good experience for her. Plus, patience seems to be one of her weakest points from my observations." I said with an amused laugh, the chief joining in before taking a sip from his cup of tea.

"Yes, yes, she has quite the temper. My son has been on the receiving end of it quite a few times. I suppose she takes after her father in that regard." The chief said with a small smile on his face, probably thinking of the purple ogress's father. "Lord Rimuru, would you be so kind as to accept a request of mine?" The ogre chief asked, by now I'd grown used to all this formal talk and had accepted that this is how almost everyone would speak to me.

"It depends on what the favor is." I replied as I drank from my own cup of tea, I wouldn't make any promises, I made it a point to keep my promises so I never took them lightly, lest I dig my own grave.

"Fair enough. Would you be willing to take my son and daughter on this fishing expedition of yours as well?" The chief asked, much to my surprise. That's the request he had? I'd made a bigger deal out of it for no reason, maybe I was just being overly cautious.

"May I ask why?" I wasn't against taking them with me, especially the princess, but was it really a good idea for him to be letting both his children out of the village? They were his only children and were like royalty in this village.

"There's no special reason, I just want them to take a day off from their duties. So I'm seizing the opportunity while it's being presented." The chief said with a fatherly smile, there was no deceit in his words.

To be honest, I have no real reason to refuse, I liked spending time with the princess, about as much as I liked spending time with the purple ogress. Things between the redhead and I had improved a bit since he gave a formal apology to me in front of the chief. I wouldn't call us friends, but there was no more bad blood, if anything this expedition may help close that gap. If nothing else, I'd get to see a bit more of the real him and not the angry asshole he'd been before.

"I have no problem with it, the more the merrier." I replied with a shrug. In the end, bringing them along would only serve to make the day more enjoyable for me, rather than taking this break on my own. I took another sip of tea, enjoying both the warmth and flavor, I couldn't help but also note the sweet flavor of honey within the tea.

'It seems the ogres have really taken a liking to Apito's honey.' I thought to myself with a smile.

It was one of the few things that had been put up for trade when the chief and I sat down and got talking about what relations the ogre and goblin villages would have. To be honest, I had been a bit worried that the ogres would make unreasonable demands, not because I thought little of them, but rather because I was negotiating on behalf of a weaker species. But the chief turned out to be more level headed than I thought.

*Flashback*

"Thank you for taking the time to actually hear me out." I said as I took the seat opposite to the chief. It had been two days since my return, and the chief and I were about to go into detail about the potential trade agreements between the ogre village and the goblin village.

"No,no, I should be the one thanking you lord Rimuru." The chief said as he shook his head sideways. "This is just as much an opportunity for me and my people as it is for the goblins under your protection. I hope we can come to an agreement that is satisfactory for the both of us." I nodded head in agreement, I understood the meaning behind his words clearly.

As much as the chief and his people respected me, they wouldn't simply bend over and supply the goblin village, not unless I was willing to use force. He wanted a mutually beneficial agreement. Which was fine with me since I never had any intention of swindling the ogres, I'd compensate them properly for their efforts.

"So do I, now let's get started." I said as our expressions became slightly more serious. As well acquainted as the two of us were, this was now a discussion between two leaders who were looking out for the interests of their own people. "As I said on the night of my arrival, hiring of the dwarves helped improve a lot of areas within the goblin village such as housing, clothing, and craftsmanship, and the dryads have also started to aid in agricultural production."

"Yes, you've pretty much covered most of the essentials. Food, shelter, clothing, all that is left is security." The chief said to which I nodded my head.

"I'm not worried about the wolves at the current moment. They are natural predators and will grow into their newfound power. The goblins, however…" I trailed off with a frown. "They've been at the bottom of the food chain for as long as they can remember. They have no fighting skill or experience whatsoever, and their confidence is severely lacking. Their recent evolutions can't change those shortcomings."

"Indeed, goblins, despite their large population, have always relied on others for protection and have always been submissive to stronger species, even though they've evolved, you cannot expect them to change their ways so quickly." The chief explained before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, "That being said I can understand why you'd like us to teach them. They would not only gain the skills to use their newfound strength, but they would also grow more confident in their own power."

"That's the idea." I responded. It was a big ask, I was asking the ogres to share their techniques with goblins, creatures they viewed as beneath them.

"Very well, but if we were to help the goblins, what would we hope to gain in return?" The chief asked. I'd been expecting this question, I would have been more suspicious if they had just accepted and gone along with it.

"Yes, asking you to share your techniques is something that can't be asked without an exchange of equal value." I responded as I nodded my head. I then reached into my [Stomach] and brought forth a magisteel crystal about the size of a person's head using [Apex Predator]. "Tell me chief, do you know what this is?" The shocked expression on his face told me all that I needed to know.

"Th-that's a magistone ore? The amount of magicules in that crystal alone…" the chief whispered in shock.

"Close but not quite, this is magisteel, the refined and much more condensed version of magistone ores." I said as the chief tore his eyes away from the magisteel and turned back to me. "If you're familiar with magistone then I'm sure you know what it is used for. Weapons made from magisteel boast a higher magicule conductivity than those made from magistone and grow with their user. I found a lot of magistone ores in the cave where my mother had been sealed and further refined them into magisteel."

"I see, so you wish to trade the magisteel in exchange for us teaching the goblins?" The chief asked, but I quickly shook my head sideways.

"Not quite, as selfish as it sounds I'd rather keep the production of magisteel weapons exclusive to the goblin village. Instead I'd like to propose the dwarves also manufacturing weapons for the ogres, or at the very least your main forces." The ogre chief seemed to frown slightly at that. I wasn't against the idea of giving the ogres magisteel, but I'd rather not have it spread like a wildfire, plus the goblin village needed a way to stand out even among the stronger villages in Jura. I needed to get the ogre chief to accept this deal. "If you're worried about the quality or craftsmanship of the weaponry, then would you please take a look at this blade first, then tell me your honest thoughts." I added as a sheathed katana appeared in my right hand from my [Stomach].

Holding the blade vertically with both hands on opposing ends, I held it out for the chief to take. The scabbard of the blade was pitch black with red and gold lines drawn out in intricate patterns that made it look amazing, the handle was similarly black with the top have a red and white spherical design. The chief took the blade and slowly began to pull it out of its scabbard. The blade was very well done, shining and brightly reflecting the light that came in from the window, stainless and sharp, ready to tear into the flesh of its foe. Kaijin had really outdone himself with this blade, then again I had told him that I may just give this to the chief should he choose to accept it.

"Try channeling magicules into it." I said with a grin. The ogre chief, who'd been mesmerized by the blade, snapped out of his thoughts and nodded his head. I felt the magicules be channeled into the blade before a split second later, the sword erupted into bright orange flames. The temperature of the room increased and the flames lit up every corner of the room.

"Oh my…" the chief muttered as he quickly stopped channeling energy. Right, for a moment I had forgotten we were in a wooden building. With the amount of wooden furniture in here, things really could have gone bad.

"As I said, magisteel has high magicule conductivity, and that is only a 50% magisteel weapon." I said with a bit of pride. The chief looked at the blade for a little bit longer, before letting out a sigh and sheathing it within its scabbard. Why did I have a feeling I wasn't going to hear the answer I was hoping to hear?

"This is a beautiful blade, Lord Rimuru, very well made. But we ogres have never had our weapons made by outsiders. I mean no disrespect to you or the dwarven blacksmith that made this blade, but I don't think my people and I would feel comfortable wielding a blade that was made by people we don't know or have never met." The chief said with an apologetic bow.

Man, that really threw a dent in things didn't it. I mean I understood where the ogre chief was coming from. The ogres pretty much lived as a tight knit community, it was kind of like those small towns where everybody knew each other. So it made sense that they would all go to one place for weapons and the like. Having someone you're not used to crafting your weapons all of a sudden would make anyone weary. These were tools that you carried with you into battle, a battle which could mean life or death, it made sense you'd want to stick with a reliable blacksmith who'd never let you down before.

…that being said I wasn't willing to give up just yet.

"Then how about this? You can have your top blacksmiths work alongside the dwarves? I'm sure your blacksmiths may have some knowledge and techniques that even the dwarves may not know of in this field. And the Dwarves can share their knowledge too, and given that they are known as the best craftsmen in the world, that would benefit the Ogres in the long-run, too. And them working together could produce more high-quality weapons and gear." I proposed, hoping that this we could reach some kind of middle ground. The chief took a moment to think about it, closing his eyes as if meditating on the issue.

"Yes, I suppose that is the best possible solution given the circumstances. I'd be willing to send two of our blacksmiths to work in the goblin village." The ogre chief said with a nod, I couldn't help the relieved smile that made it's way onto my face.

For a second, I thought the chief was going to turn down that offer, but in the end this was the best possible outcome for me as well. If all went well, Kaijin and the goblins under him would also learn some valuable techniques from the ogre smiths and vice versa.

In the end the ogre chief and I were able to come to an agreement on the matter, he would send two blacksmiths along with two types of instructors for each type of weapon, making for a total of nearly twenty ogres all in all temporarily moving to the ogre village. I had no complaints, this was a better outcome than what I had been hoping for.

Of course the chief and I didn't stop there, we decided to see what else the two villages could exchange and offer one another. In the end I was able to get the ogres to produce and trade clothing with the goblins in exchange for Apito's honey and getting a few magic instructors in exchange for potions.

I wasn't all too sure if goblins had an aptitude for magical skills, but it was worth a shot to have the ogres teach them something.

Aside from that, the ogre chief requested to meet the head of the ogre village, Rigurd, just so he could have a better understanding of who he was dealing with. That arrangement was easily made with the tempest wolves' [Shadow Movement].

*Flashback End*

And now a month later, the trade relations between the ogres and goblins were going well. The goblins being trained were growing into a decent force, doing their best to learn and properly train their bodies into that of warriors. It took some time for them to find the weapons that suited them best, but when they did, they were with their respective instructors.

For those that were learning magic, which mainly consisted of goblinas, it was going a little bit slower, but the progress was visible. As I'd expected, goblins had a lower magicule reserve than ogres simply because they were of lower rank, and as a result weren't able to use magical skills on a scale as large. Still, they were making progress and from what I could tell, they had a higher aptitude than most humans. Which was good enough for the time being.

"Lord Rimuru!" I head the princess call out, I was now by the village gates waiting with Ranga and the purple ogress for the young master and the princess. The three of us had prepared for the trip beforehand, so we just had to wait for the two royals to get ready themselves since they had been given such short notice, and it seemed they were finally ready to go. "I'm sorry, I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long." she added with a bow of her head, her brother also joining in.

"Don't apologize, if anything I should be the one apologizing for giving the two of you such short notice." I said as waved off their apologies. "That being said, I should have invited you myself rather than having your father suggest it." I did kinda feel bad about that, it made me look inconsiderate, but I really had planned to go solo, at least until I invited the purple ogress, so there was no reason to feel guilty.

"Father told us that you intended to take this as a day off from training and your responsibilities." The Young Master said. "Though I still don't understand why you invited her along with you." He added as he turned towards the purple haired ogress. I could tell he hadn't meant anything bad by that last statement, despite how rude it sounded.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The purple ogress shouted in offense before marching right up to the Young Master with her hands on her hips. "Are you forgetting I'm Lord Rimuru's disciple?!"

'Since when did I ever call you my 'disciple'?' I couldn't help but wonder with a deadpan.

"So of course he would take me with him on this fishing trip!" She said with pride as she stood up straight and placed her hand on her chest.

"But still, for a man and woman to head into the forest… alone. It just seems improper, and scandalous." The princess said as she hid the lower half of her face behind her large sleeves, her voice sickly sweet and yet her eyes glared at the purple ogress.

'Given my current physique, do I even count as a man?' I may have the mind of an adult, but my current body was essentially that of a boy in his early teens.

"There's nothing improper about it, princess! After all, I am his student. It's only natural he would choose to spend a lot of time with me." The purple ogress taunted back, the princess' eyebrows began to twitch, and yet she still maintained her 'sweet' smile, and I say that with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "Besides, aren't you too busy with your duties to be bothered by such small things?"

"Ah, but Lord Rimuru is an honored guest of our village. Father has put me in charge of making sure his time with us is as comfortable as possible." the princess said, her smile becoming strained, a pink aura suddenly began to form around her.

'That's news to me.' I thought as I turned to the Young Master for confirmation, to which he nodded his head. Did the chief do this because of how I suggested the princess and I were close friends on the night of my return? 'Not that I'm complaining, that just means I get to spend more time with her.'

"I see…" the purple ogress with an equally strained smile, as a purple aura began to surround her as well. The air around them became thick from the tension that was building up as the two glared at each other, sparks literally shooting out and clashing in a test of will and resolve.

Now, I wasn't some dense manga or anime protagonist. I knew what was going on here, heck I'd been suspecting it for a while now, about a week into my return to be precise.

These two were developing feelings for me.

I knew the signs when I saw them, plus having [Desire] was a bit of a cheat. Though I'd like to think I would have picked up the signs even without it. Still though, this was happening a lot faster than I had anticipated, though I wasn't sure if they themselves were quite sure of how they felt just yet, hopefully this tension didn't build into something negative between them.

Still though, how was I going to handle this? Ever since that fortune telling elf from Dwargon had shown me my potential future, I'd been wondering how I was going to go about all of this. If I was going to be akin to the protagonist of a harem story, then there was one thing I wanted to avoid at all costs.

Not Being Dense. Now this may seem silly, and it kinda was, but as someone who'd read and watched a lot of harem manga and anime, it was always a bit disappointing to see the protagonist not be aware of how those around him felt. Even in the most obvious of scenarios! It always ticked me off, and to some extent, I even pitied the girls, especially those scenarios where they managed to confess, but some trope would make the mc forget or not hear the confession. Those ones were just the worst. So I vowed I would not be that guy, I'd be aware of their feelings, and acknowledge them.

Now like pretty much any normal guy that would be reincarnated into a fantasy world, the objective here was to have a harem on my own. And since I was reborn as a dragon, creatures pretty much known for hording stuff and being horny as shit, I wasn't going to have much of a problem justifying that, if I even needed to. However, I still needed to handle this with care in order to achieve the best outcome possible.

As fun as it would be to just snatch every pretty thing that I crossed paths with, I'd rather build genuine connections with the women in my life, rather than just amassing a harem. Hence the reason I was taking the time to know the princess and purple haired ogress. I had centuries ahead of me if what [Great Sage] told me was true, so there was no real need to hurry things too much.

"Alright you two, cut it out. This trip won't be any fun if you're just going to fight the entire time." I said as I walked up to them, I wouldn't act on my knowledge just yet. Not until they were sure of their feelings, and I was positive of my own.

"Lord Rimuru is right, regardless of the reason, he has invited us with him on his day off. The least we can do is be on our best behavior." The Young Master added, instantly causing the two girls to stop quarreling and bow their heads towards me in guilt.

"Please forgive us, we'll be on our best behavior from here on." They said in unison. It was almost like they had practiced this, because given their almost opposing personalities, it was rather unlikely that they would do so coincidentally.

"Don't worry about it, we're all supposed to be taking this day to have fun and relax. So you don't need to be so uptight." I said to the ogresses before also turning to the Young Master to let him know I was referring to him as well. "That goes for your friend in the trees as well." I said as I turned towards one of the trees to my left.

The ogre had been very well hidden, probably using [hideform] to conceal his presence. But my sensory skills were now at a level where I could even detect the elder whilst he used the same technique. Compared to that, sensing him was easier. Though I did have to admit that he was more skilled with the skill than most in the village.

A few seconds later, the culprit suddenly appeared on the ground before me on one knee, head bowed down. As I suspected, it was the blue haired ogre that I usually saw hanging around the Young Master. From what I had gathered the two were long time friends, in fact all four of the present ogres were quite close and had grown up together from what the princess had told me.

"Forgive my rudeness my lord, I did not mean to conceal my presence from you." The blue haired ogre said with his head down. Honestly, these guys apologized over the most silliest of things.

"It's fine. Are you coming with us as well?" I asked him, I didn't remember the chief saying anything about him tagging along as well. But at this point, it would be pretty rude not to invite him.

"I'm afraid not, I still have duties to attend to within the village." The ogre said responded. Well now that wouldn't do now would it? All his friends were taking a day off and he was stuck at work? Nope, that didn't seem fair at all.

"Well forget that, you might as well come with us now." I said casually causing the blue ogre to raise his head in minor surprise. "Don't worry about the chief, I'll take the fall if anything comes up." I reassured with a grin and a thumbs up.

"But my lord…I couldn't…" He said hesitantly.

"If it bothers you that much, just think of it as escorting the Princess and Young Master. After all, I'm sure the chief would appreciate an extra pair of eyes on them outside the village walls." I reassured him. "If you just happen to be having fun with your friends whilst fulfilling your duty, I don't think he will fault you for it."

The young master then walked up to his friend and put a hand on the blue haired ogre's shoulder. "It would be rude to continuously decline such a generous offer from Lord Rimuru." He said with a grin. "Besides, he said he would speak to father on your behalf, so you shouldn't make him keep repeating himself." That seemed to get the blue haired ogre to actually consider things, before he let out a sigh of resignation before nodding his head as a sign that he would come along.

'This guy takes his job way too seriously…' I couldn't help but think, hopefully the Young Master could get him to relax at some point. Last thing I needed was another stiff guy hanging around much like what had happened with Rigur at the elf club. "Alright then, seems that everyone is here and ready to go. Ranga, do you mind calling in the others now?" The four ogres were confused as to what I meant by that.

"As you wish, master!" The unspoken question was answered as Ranga's shadow lengthened, and not a second later, three tempest wolves leapt out and landed right in front of me, their heads lowered respectfully.

"The place we're going is a bit far from the village, but with the tempest wolves, we should be able to make it there and back whilst still having plenty of time to relax and enjoy ourselves." I explained to the ogres whose interest seemed piqued upon the appearance of the wolves.

"I see, but my lord, I only count three wolves, four including Ranga." The Young Master pointed out.

"Yeah, originally I had planned for the two of us to just to ride Ranga since he can carry two of us when fully grown." I said as I gestured towards the purple haired ogress, her face lighting up at the idea, "But when the chief suggested bringing you two along I had Ranga fetch three wolves from the goblin village. I hadn't accounted for another person." I trailed as I turned towards the blue haired ogre.

"Then perhaps it would be best if I-"

"This shouldn't be an issue though." I cut off the blue haired ogre before he could start again. "As I said Ranga is capable of carrying two of us at full size. So if there are no complaints the Princess can ride with me." I suggested, this time it was the princess' face that lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I don't think anyone here would object to that Lord Rimuru. Right, big brother?" The princess asked with a terrifying smile as she turned towards the Young Master. I didn't envy him at that moment.

"R-right, no arguments here. Ranga and Lord Rimuru are probably the most qualified to protect you." Young Master responded quickly, a bit of sweat dripping down the side of his head. Now I understood what the chieftess meant when she told me the princess was the only one outside of the chief and elder who could keep the redhead in line. She had him whipped good.

Smash!!

All heads swiftly turned in the direction the sound had come from, and were surprised to see that the purple ogress had punched one of the nearby tree, leaving a sizeable dent and numerous cracks that seemed to be expanding by the second.

"Are…you okay?" I asked, wondering what had brought this on all of a sudden.

"I…I was supposed to be the one." She stated between breaths, though with her head down I couldn't quite see her expression. Though I could sense the envy and rage bubbling within her. "I was the one who was supposed to ride with Lord Rimuru!!" She shouted as her head snapped up and glared at the princess with tears gathering in the corner of her eyes cheeks pouted and puffed like balloons.

"Huh?" I couldn't even find the words. The Young Master and blue haired ogre merely sighed as though they were used to this, which they probably were given that they grew up together. 'Still though, the last thing I expected her to make a fuss about was this.' I thought to myself with a deadpan.

"Earlier you said that I was going to ride with you, but now that the princess is here, you want to go with her?!" The purple ogress shouted as she pointed at the princess with an accusatory finger.

"You're making a bigger deal out of this than it actually is. It's just a small trip, it's not like the princess and I are running away together and Ranga is the noble steed." I said, the princess suddenly blushing at the potential image of the idea. "Besides, it makes sense for the princess to ride with me given her smaller stature, plus Ranga is the only one large enough to carry two of us."

The purple ogress pouted, arms crossed and everything. She really was throwing a tantrum like a child at this point. I knew she wouldn't let this go easily. I had to find a way to placate her quickly so we could go while the sun was still out. Last thing I needed was her knocking down every tree within the surrounding area, that might actually draw the Dryads here.

"Look, for the sake of progress, I'll ride with the princess today. Ranga and I are literally always here so we can ride together anytime." I tried to reassure her, the pouting didn't stop, but she seemed to be contemplating my words. Now I just needed to hammer the point home. "Besides the more time we spend here arguing, the less time we'll have to actually enjoy the day." I added, from the corner of my eye I saw the Young Master approach us with a rather strict expression on his face.

"Lord Rimuru is right. Again, do I need to remind you that this is his day off and he invited all of us to accompany him?" The Young Master added with a disapproving glare that caused the purple ogress to flinch. "Besides, Ranga is the strongest of the Tempest Wolves, it only makes sense that my sister, who is younger and less experienced than the rest of us, sticks with him and Lord Rimuru."

The Purple Ogress still pouted but ultimately relented. She'd get over it quickly enough, her childlike mindset meant she didn't keep grudges for long. Maybe this outing would help her get over it quickly.

With the arrangements set and the purple ogress temporarily placated, we finally set out on the tempest wolves.

~~~

Riding on Ranga as he dashed through the trees of the forest was one of the things I found to enjoy, almost as much as I did flying. Just the feeling of the wind rushing against your face, and everything else around you becoming a blur, it was a surreal experience that often got my blood pumping and had me excited. Which is why I was glad I got to share this experience with the ogres.

Despite the tempest wolves not moving at their max speed, I could tell the ogres were actually enjoying the experience, well at least the Young Master and Purple ogress were. The blue haired ogre seemed unfazed both outwardly and emotionally, and the princess seemed to have other things in mind as she clung onto me. I decided that I didn't want to know what it was that had her so flustered and embarrassed, but I could probably guess.

It didn't take us long to arrive at our destination, a wide clearing with a river flowing right through the middle. It was spacious, quiet, and almost tranquil, through [magic sense] I could tell there were no monsters within the nearby area. Which was weird, since animals usually gathered where there was water. There was only one possible explanation.

"Ranga, did you clear the surrounding area of wildlife?" I asked the alpha tempest wolf. The proud bark and wagging of his tail were enough of an answer for me.

"No, though I did send a request to Raya to clear this area so that master would be able to enjoy his day without disturbance." Ranga said proudly. So it was his idea.

"A wise decision. Ensuring that the terrain is secure before bringing your master. Your intelligence continues to astound me, Sir Ranga." The Young Master said to which even the blue haired ogre nodded his head, equally impressed, as we all dismounted from the wolves. I guess having a beast like monster displaying such high levels of intelligence wasn't common. The tempest wolves had really come a long way since I named them.

"Sir Ranga truly is amazing! He's powerful, agile, intelligent, and loyal, a truly remarkable monster! Not to mention his fur is so soft! I can see why the children of our village are so fond of him, with the same extending to your Dragon form!" The Princess exclaims in amazement as she stepped up to the large wolf and began to rub the back of his ears, prompting the wolf to yelp appreciatively as it's tail wagged and it started panting.

Hearing this reminded me of how much attention Ranga and I drew from the Ogre Village after my return. At first, people had been wary of Ranga, even though I vouched for him as my familiar and he had shown his loyalty to me. I suspected it was because Ranga had a powerful presence to him due to being a monster of higher rank and magicules compared to all the ogres.

Surprisingly it had been the ogre children that had warmed up to Ranga first, probably out of curiosity, and most likely against the wishes of their parents. The children would constantly look at Ranga with awe and amazement due to his strength, size, and loving the feeling of his fur. Ranga also enjoyed the attention he received from the children and was more than happy to play with them, allowing them to pet him, much to their happiness. Seeing this, the rest of the ogres were quick to let go of their hesitations and began to treat Ranga well.

Naturally, my dragon form was also another thing that drew the attention of the ogres. Much like with the goblins, it was mainly the female population and children that were drawn in by this form. Though one difference was that the ogres were strong when compared to the goblins and elves. Escaping the grip of the purple haired ogress and chieftess was a battle worth remembering. I didn't even know the chieftess had such a fearsome grip!

I was now very conscious of where I transformed and whose presence I was in because of that.

"Yes, Ranga is indeed a very reliable partner!" The purple haired ogress said with a proud smile.

'Why are you beaming with pride, he's not your partner.' I couldn't help but think with a deadpan. Seriously, it was hard to know how this girl thought at times. Then again, that aloof nature was also one of her charms in a way.

The wind in the area suddenly kicked up as Ranga's tail began to rotate at rapid speeds, comparable to a propeller. The ogres were forced to cover their eyes and hold down their clothing as the torrent of wind continue to increase in pressure and intensity. I quickly stepped in and bopped Ranga on the head, which immediately calmed Ranga down.

"Sorry about that, it seems Ranga got a bit flustered over all the praise and compliments. You should be careful when showering him with so much praise at once." I said with a grin as Ranga turned his head away from the group in embarrassment, prompting a few of us to laugh at seeing the strong alpha wolf get all flustered.

With that, we settled into the clearing. The princess and purple ogress decided to go into the forest to get some herbs and berries to go together with the fish, leaving us guys to do the actual fishing, just in case I had Ranga hide within the princesses shadow.

"Alright then boys, how about we throw in a wager." I said as we each sat by the riverbed, fishing rods in hand. The two ogres looked at each other for a second before turning back to me anxiously. "It's simple, whoever catches the most fish by the time the girls return is the winner." I said with a grin.

"What about the other two?" The blue haired ogre asked cautiously.

"Well the middle man doesn't really get anything, but the guy in last, well…" I couldn't help the sinister chuckle that escaped from my mouth, and the way the two ogres became that much more alert made it worth it. "The person to catch the least fish will have to take a quarter of her food from each of our plates into their own." I said with a sinister laugh as the other two ogres shuddered at the idea, they knew I was referring to the purple ogress.

While her cooking had gotten a lot better to the point of not giving of the aura of a high rank monster, or burning through the ground like acid, she still had some ways to go before it started tasting good or started to look presentable. Still, the good news is I wasn't the only one chipping in to actually try and teach her now. The princess, along with a few other female ogres were also lending a hand, despite the few disasters that had occurred.

It was a good thing, though, the purple ogress was finally getting the guidance she needed from her kin. Me teaching her at this point was just an excuse for us to spend time together at this point, though I'm sure she still believed I had much to teach her, even though my culinary skills were mediocre at best.

"Lord Rimuru, you are evil sir." The Young Master said as a wave of dread washed over him at the implications of eating her food, even the blue haired ogre seemed unnerved by the consequences of loss.

I couldn't help the laughter that roared out of me from that response, "Oh come on, her cooking is nowhere near as bad as it used to be!" I would know, the pain I felt that first experience despite my [Pain Nullification] was something that I wouldn't forget any time soon. "Besides, it keeps things interesting does it not?"

"Still…" It was actually kind of funny to see the Young Master like this. Being his real and genuine self, unlike how he had been towards me before I left.

" To further spice things up, the loser has to give up half of the food they receive from the princess to the winner," I add, which gets their attention since unlike the Purple Ogress, the cooking of the Ogre Princess was among the best in the village.

There was a time where I doubted the two of us would ever be on good terms, the grudge he seemed to hold against me for no apparent reason was something I could feel from a mile away. What happened on the day I left the village was merely an explosion of all that pent up frustration.

But now things had cleared up a bit since my return to the village.

*Flashback*

The atmosphere in the room seemed kind of tense. And that was putting it mildly.

The princess had told me that my presence had been requested by the chief, along with his council. Sure enough upon my arrival I saw both the royal family, the elder and the village council members waiting for me. Everybody seemed nervous and tense for some reason. The princess wordlessly guided me towards the table where the chief was seated, and I sat on the opposing side.

"Lord Rimuru, thank you for gracing us with your presence." The chief said as he bowed his head, an action that was promptly copied by all present within the room.

'What the hell is going on here?' They were laying the whole royal treatment act rather thick right now. Where they going to ask for some kind of favor? "Is something the matter, you all seem rather…tense?"

"Not exactly, we simply wish to address a matter we feel has been left unaddressed since your departure." The chief said as he raised his head. He turned towards his son, seeming to be ashamed and a bit upset at the young redhead. "My son was highly disrespectful towards you on the day that you departed from our village. Going so far as to insult and point his blade towards you, an honored guest of our village."

Ahh, so that's what this was about. It certainly explained why everyone seemed so tense and uncomfortable. They were probably expecting me to be angry with what the Young Master had said and done that day.

To be honest, it did upset me more than I was willing to admit. The Young Master had been a source of frustration for me since the first time we met in the forest when I first encountered the ogres. He had made up his mind about me since before he even laid his eyes on me, and since then, he had been fixated on the idea that I was the bad guy.

And with a skill like [Desire, I'd been able to feel all the anger, spite, and other negative emotions he sent my way. That was honestly what pissed me most about this situation with him. It certainly made it hard for me to feel relaxed at times even within the boundaries of village.

"I see, so that's what this is about." I let out a sigh as I thought about how I was going to handle this. I didn't want the ogres to see me as some kind of pushover, especially now that they knew of my race and heritage. I had to be a bit tough right now, and then balance it out with some compassion to overshadow it.

"Lord Rimuru, please allow me to apologize for my foolish son's behavior. As chief, I am ashamed that I let our honored guest go through something like that in my presence, and as a father I am ashamed by his behavior." The chief said with another bow, "Please rest assured he has been properly punished for his behavior."

The chief seemed genuine, and so did everyone else in the room if their anxiety was anything to go by. But at the end of the day, they weren't the ones that wronged me, and so I turned my attention away from them and instead focused on the Young Master, whose head was also down in shame and regret.

"Please don't take offense to this chief, but you weren't the one that wronged me. An apology from you is pointless." I said, voice even and expression void of any emotion. My eyes met that of the redhead and I raised my hand and pointed it towards him, "If anything I want to hear it from him." I added, the people in the room flinching at the last part. I hadn't meant for it to come out that hard, but it seemed even I had some bottled up stuff when it came to the Young Master of the ogres.

The chief turned to his son and nodded his head, the young master nodding back in return. He seemed a bit hesitant, but more than that he also had a look of resolve in his eyes. The Young Master stood from his seat and made his way towards me before stopping at my right side.

For a moment I thought he was going to try something, but I was quickly proved wrong when the prideful Young Master of the ogres went down on both knees, before leaning forward until his head was on the ground, prostrating himself in front of everyone!! I was beyond shocked, even the chief and his family were shocked, meaning they had no idea this is what he would do. They probably assumed he would go down on one knee and bow his head as he apologized.

I wasn't sure if the ogres knew what a Dogeza was, but given how much of their culture seemed similar to that of traditional Japanese then they most likely understood the significance of such an action. In traditional Japanese culture, the act of prostrating yourself as the young master had done was called Dogeza. It was used to show deference to a person of higher status, as a deep apology or to express the desire for a favor from said person.

The fact that the Young Master was going this far…

"Lord Rimuru, I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. Not after how I have wronged you time and time again since you came to our village." The Young Master started, "But allow me to apologize for my foolishness. I won't make excuses for my behavior, and I'm willing to accept any punishment you may have for me." He added.

'He's serious…' I didn't know what had happened in my absence, but for the redhead to be bowing his head to me all of a sudden. It was a complete reverse of the behavior he had shown before I left. The Chief had mentioned something about a punishment earlier, perhaps that had something to do with his rehabilitation. Or maybe he was just changing character because of my heritage.

One thing was for sure though, he was being sincere right now, that much I could tell. I didn't even need to use my skills to confirm that.

"What exactly was his punishment?" I asked the chief, curious as to how harsh they had been.

"We revoked his right to wield the sword for the foreseeable future. We thought it would be best to wait for your return before deciding stricter punishment." The chief responded.

"I see…" They were trying to appease me, that much had become clear to me, maybe they were hoping that I wouldn't hold the Young Masters actions against the entire village or something. If that had been the case I never would have come back.

That aside, the punishment the Young Master got wasn't as severe as I thought it would be. Then again if he wasn't allowed to hold a sword, he couldn't train or improve his swordsmanship. Must've been rough for someone as prideful as him.

"One of the unique skills I possess is called [Desire, it allows me to sense the emotions and intentions of all those around me. It's useful for detecting things such as negative emotions and evil intentions, and also good for getting a general idea about a person" I started as everyone gasped and all eyes in the room widened. The elder seemed intrigued. I ignored all them and kept my eyes on the Young Master who still had his head bowed on the ground. "Lift your head."

The Young Master did so, knowing that I was talking to him. He sat up straight and met my eyes.

"I'll be honest, your attitude towards me irked me, but more than that it was the amount of anger, hatred, and envy that I felt directed towards me that annoyed me. Even when you thought I didn't know, I did. Every glare you shot behind my back and every curse you uttered when you thought I wasn't within earshot." I said voice low as the Young Masters eyes widened before looking down in shame, everyone else seemed equally surprised by my words, "As a dragon, my sense of hearing and smell are far sharper than what you'd normally expect, greater than Ranga's even. I won't ask for your reasoning, it makes little difference now and I doubt it would justify anything. But I want you to know I liked every aspect of this village. From the people, the hospitality and even the connections I built here. The only thing that prevented me from truly feeling at home…was you." I maintained a neutral expression as I spoke, but I'm pretty sure there was some underlying anger in the way that I spoke.

I could see the worried gazes of the Chieftess and princess looking between me and the Young Master. The elder and Chief patiently waiting to hear whatever I had to say, guess they had been expecting me to also air out my grievances. The rest of the council members just looked a bit nervous but they didn't dare speak out.

"As the first son of the chief, you weren't someone I could just ignore, and our paths were bound to cross more often than not the longer I stayed within the village. Meaning as long as things stayed the way they were between us, I would never have been able to find any peace. On the day I left the village, I let you vent because I hoped to actually get to the root of the issue. But I never actually expected you to draw and point your blade at me." I said, as my eyes narrowed and a fraction of my aura began to leak out. Many within the room began to sweat even more. I didn't dare look towards the royal family or elder, instead keeping my eye on the young master, "I may not have voiced my own thoughts that day, given I had more pressing matters. But I want you to know, had your sister not stepped in when she did…I more than likely would have killed you." Most of the ogres in the room tensed up immediately when I said that.

"My lord-" I raised my hand to prevent the chief from speaking further. This was between the Young Master and I for now. They called me here to address the issue cause they felt I'd been wronged, the least they could do was listen.

"While it may have seemed otherwise, my own tolerance was reaching its limit. And with the amount of malice I felt coming from you in that moment, I saw you as nothing more than a threat. I also had doubts about there being a chance of reconciliation." The Young Master kept his eyes on the ground, not daring to meet my gaze once more. Which might actually have been a good thing. "I would have preferred things not come to this. As the next chief of this village I would rather we become friends rather than enemies. A bad relationship between the two of us would ultimately mean severing ties with this place upon you becoming chief." The Young Masters head snapped back up in alarm at my words.

"No! I-I mean s-such drastic measures won't be necessary my lord." The Young Master said as he bowed his head quickly once he realized he had raised his voice.

"I'd hope not. Because as I've said multiple times, I'm rather fond of this place, and its people. Even I would be disappointed if I had to cut ties." I said with a frown, the ogres present letting out breaths of relief upon hearing that.

These people had been the first to welcome me after I left my mothers cave. Since starting my new life in this world, this place was the closest thing I had to a home in this world. It would be a bummer to throw it all away.

"For that reason I'm willing to pardon you, just this once." I said with a grin, much to the shock of everyone in the room.

"What?!" The Young Master shouted as he looked at me just as surprised as everyone else, perhaps even more so seeing as he was the guilty party.

"My lord, are you not being too lenient?" The Chief asked me.

"I'm not, he's still going to get punished, just not as harsh as it would have been." I responded, "The reason being I can tell that he is remorseful, and regrets what he did. I sensed no deceit or malice from him the entire time. If not for that, then I would have been more severe. But it would be wise to remember that not all majin are as tolerant as me. And I won't be generous enough to let something like that go a second time" I added, turning towards the Young Master when I issued that warning.

"Thank you for your kindness, my Lord." He said with the bow of his head.

"Sure." Hopefully with this the relationship between the master and I could change for the better.

"Have you decided on the punishment you're going to give him?" The chief asked.

"Indeed. The Princess and I, along with a few other female ogres, have been assisting the Purple Ogress in improving her cooking skills, and while we still have a long way to go, her food at least isn't as dangerous or poisonous as before. But she will still need someone to taste her food as she gradually improves," I said while looking at the now sweating and horrified Young Master with a devious smirk. "And lucky for her, she now has a new 'volunteer'."

The Chief, the Elder, and his council couldn't help but pity the Young Master due to knowing the infamous nature of her cooking, though they were at least grateful that I wouldn't kill him. But whether or not the Purple Ogress would unintentionally kill him or not was another question.

* End of Flashback *

After that meeting, things were a bit awkward between the Young Master and I for the first few days, but we eventually started getting along just fine. Mostly bonding over how terrible the purple haired ogress's cooking, though we made sure not to talk in her presence.

I managed to convince the Chief to also return the Young Master's sword since eating that food was already punishment in itself. So the Young Master was back to practicing the sword once more under the elder, with the two of us occasionally sparring when the opportunity allowed.

Back to our fishing expedition, time flew by faster than I had thought, the girls and Ranga having returned some time back and were cooking the fish. I would have been there helping watch over the purple ogress as she 'cooked' but the princess insisted that she'd keep an eye on her. Something about me enjoying myself and relaxing. In the end, I merely shrugged and returned to chatting with the Young Master and blue ogre.

The winner of our little bet turned out to be the blue haired ogre, much to my dismay. The guy had the luck and patience of a saint, I probably would have been more lucky if I had [Great Sage] guide me, but I wanted a clean victory. Fortunately I came second, meaning while I had to give away some of my goods, I also had to give away some of my bads. It was the kind of middle ground I was willing to settle for even if I didn't like it that much, it was better than what the Young Master was going to go through.

He showed a surprising amount of self-restraint and patience whilst we were fishing. But still fell a little short of what was required for this activity, and thus caught the least fish and ended up in last place, much to his dismay and my amusement.

"How did it come to this?" The young master asked as he looked at the bowl of 'food' in front. I couldn't help but pity him a bit, his plate a lot more full than mine since the blue haired ogre and I were quick to give him a small portion.

"You lost, now man up." I told him bluntly as I gave him a pet on the back before looking down at my own bowl which, while less, was not appealing.

The purple ogress had improved, but that was only in that her food wasn't monstrous or deadly as it used to be. Heck, what she served back then couldn't be called food. But now, her dishes were just poorly cooked with a bad taste and smell that would have a normal human constantly running to the toilet for weeks.

"Go ahead and eat up before it gets cold!" The purple ogress said with a smile, as the princess looked on with pity from behind her. Given that she was still preparing her own dish, she had been spared from what we were about to suffer.

Our only saving grace in this moment was that the princess had prevented the purple ogress from cooking too much food. Only making just enough for our three bowls. The reason being they wanted to bring most of the fish back to the village to share with others. I suppose we got lucky in that regard, I don't know if I would have been able to take a second helping.

"Down the hatch it goes." I mumbled as I braced myself, as I took the spoon full and shoved it into my mouth.

The taste was not pleasant at all, and I had to resist the urge to spit it out. But compared to the first dish I ate long ago, this meal was a lot more tolerable. All I had to do was chug it down before the taste filled my mouth and the stench went up my nose. Something that the purple ogress apparently mistook for me liking her dish.

'How can she not see my suffering?' Honesty I shouldn't be surprised at this point. This girl had gone her whole life without even realizing people didn't like her cooking until I made her face that harsh reality.

Looking at the blue ogre and the Young Master, I could instantly tell the latter was struggling due to the way his face was turning blue with each spoonful. The blue ogre seemed to be handling himself slightly better, most likely adopting the same strategy I had, but he did wince here and there.

The fact that they could even eat this dish without immediately falling sick was a testament to how far the purple ogress had come. The first time the Young Master ate her dish for the sake of his punishment, he was almost choked to death on the spot. Though he did acquire [Poison Resistance, so I guess something good came out of it.

"Alright everyone, why don't you try mine next!" The princess called out as she came with a wooden tray that had five bowls and cups of tea as well. The male ogres and myself instantly pushed our current plates away, "I even prepared some tea." The princess said as she served the plates and cups for everyone, including the purple ogress and herself.

Just looking at the food and the aroma that filled my sensitive nose were enough to make my mouth get all watery. I knew the princess was a talented cook, but I didn't know she was good with fish as well! I needed to give these ogres more credit. Despite the lack of ingredients here compared to the village, the princess had managed to put together a spectacular meal that I could never hope to create on my own.

Enduring the previous meal may have been worth it for this taste of heaven.

Of course, I didn't forget about the bet. The blue haired ogre being the winner who caught the most fish was supposed to get a quarter from mine and the Young Master's plate. And so, reluctantly, I held up my end of the deal like a man. It was a shame, but in the end it was my loss. Not to mention, I was the one who suggested the bet in the first place.

The girls merely laughed at the interaction, especially at the expense of the young Master and myself. And soon we were all just talking and laughing as we ate. Chatting about pretty much anything that came to mind, whilst making sure to avoid any serious topics.

Today was supposed to be a day of relaxation after all, and I couldn't help but feel we had somewhat succeeded in doing just that.

And yet, even in this moment I couldn't help but feel that this was merely the calm before the storm. That something big was about to happen.

"Lord Rimuru?" I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the Young Master calling me. Actually, it seemed everyone had turned towards me with expressions of minor concern. "Are you alright, my lord?"

"Ah, did I worry you guys?" I asked as I waved my hands dismissively. "I just had something on my mind, so don't worry about me."

The four ogres seemed to accept that answer as they smiled once more and began to converse and eat once more, with me actively participating.

That's right, there was no point in overthinking anything right now. If something happened then I would deal with it. That was my job as guardian.

Authors Notes:

Another great chapter, at least I feel it was. And with this I've officially crossed the 100k words milestone of this fic!!! Woohoo!!

There's a bit to unrap in this chapter, but all in all it was just meant to be an in-between kind of thing.

I want to know what you all think of the reconciliation between Benimaru and Rimuru. I felt the need to emphasize that this Rimuru isn't as easy going as his cannon counterpart, and there will be more instances like this in the future.

Then there's the fact that Rimuru has become aware of the feelings Shion and Shuna have towards him, two of the many potential partners he may have in the future. I want to make legit relationships depite this being a harem fic, so don't expect me to rush this too much. Still, let me know what you all think!!

All in all I want to hear your thoughts so please like, comment and review!! Next chapter comes out in three weeks.