I woke up and almost felt like I was underwater for a moment, but what I was surrounded by was a bunch of thick blue goo…

I was surrounded by slimes, with one particularly large one directly on top of me, who all collectively were trying to send me calming feelings. It helped a bit, but the nightmare I had would take a lot more than calming thoughts to dispel.

Wait… where did all these slimes even come from?

My little house was packed with them, deep inside the sealed cave.

I felt around a bit with Universal Perception, trying to figure out where they came from… Honestly, most of them felt like they came from Veldora. So they must've wandered here, in search of me. But why?

[[Your distress was projected through your aura, attracting the other slimes to you. It is a natural instinct for slimes to gather and protect each other in times of danger.]]

Guess I have to keep them now… I couldn't shoo the things off when they just wanted to help.

I tried to gently wiggle my way out from under the largest slime, but as soon as I moved, so did it. The slime seemed insistent on keeping me squished 'safely' underneath its body.

Okay… this is not working.

Not wanting to harm any of the slimes with how tightly packed together they all were inside, I just used Spatial Domination to escape to the outside of my home.

I decided to take a look at myself, but I wanted to look with my eyes. I felt like I'd really been letting go of my earthly self recently… Both for the better and worse. What better way to remedy that than a quick look in the mirror.

As I inched my way up to the mirror pool in the cave, illuminated by the soft glow of magicrystals all around us, I was slowly introduced to… Shizu. I had that sharp womanly look, just a bit younger… Like a little, young-teenage Shizu.

Albeit, with a notable increase in beauty, the resemblance was still uncanny.

I fell away from the mirror pool, in a shock and with a surge of guilt creeping into me. Shizu's students had been taken from me, and I felt like who I saw there was a punishment for that.

If I still had those breathing reflexes, I would've been hyperventilating. Instead, I felt my form bubbling and writhing beneath my skin. My body responding to distress in more and more of an inhuman way.

Staring at Shizu's face again though, it reminded me of something else. I needed, badly needed; to get her mask back. Yuuki had broken it, and I needed to find the pieces… wherever they were.

So, without a moment of consideration, I used my teleport gate to go back to Englesia.

What was Englesia… I reminded myself. The destruction still raged around me, even after days, maybe even weeks. I couldn't be sure exactly how much time passed.

[[Six days have passed since Walpurgis.]]

Thanks, partner. I liked Raphael… They were so refined, yet human. It was refreshing to feel like I was talking to a person. Say, could you help me search for the mask?

[[If they are here, we will find them. Considering the presence of enemies in the surrounding lands however, a time-limit is advised. Three hours should be satisfactory?]]

That makes sense… Good idea. Thank you for looking out for me.

I felt some small memento from Raphael, a little positive sentiment. It was unusual, but nice.

We didn't end up finding the pieces of Shizu's mask. Not even a splinter of the thing.

I was laying face down in the mud, just about ready to slam my face into the earth. I'd already been here three hours, so I couldn't stay any longer. Otherwise I'd risk some human showing up trying to defeat me or something, I was sure.

We'd searched every nook and cranny of the Colosseum, the Free Guild Headquarters, the Englesia Royal Palace… Nowhere, the mask was nowhere.

Not even a whiff of its antimagic effect.

In the end, we got to the end of our time-limit, and had to turn tail and go back to Jura.

I felt useless, not even able to recover the sole possession of my first human friend in this world.

Standing at the mirror pool, I found myself staring at my face again. I was less spooked now, so I got a closer look.

Shimmering in the changing colors of the crystals all around me, I saw my blue locks, my deep golden eyes, my pale white skin and perfect complexion.

I really was beautiful. Not that I had anyone to admire that little fact.

[[Master is objectively attractive, in all forms.]]

Heh… nice try, Raphael. You're just trying to make me feel better. The reaction I got that time was different, the skill almost seemed frustrated with my response, and went silent for a moment.

Then it spoke again, more monotone. [[The analysis of Unlimited Imprisonment has been completed. The release of individual, Veldora Tempest, is possible at any time.]]

You finished the analysis? When?!

[[During your six-day period of rest.]]

I wanted to question why Raphael hadn't told me right when it finished, but it probably didn't want to bother me or something.

I don't really have time to deal with him right now… I pondered on what to do for him. I really did need the company, but at the same time, I was almost worried to even let him out of my stomach.

I couldn't lose him too, if worse came to worst.

I guess we can let him out of the seal. Keep him in my stomach though. I communicated the intent to my partner after a very long Thought Acceleration session, even if in the real world a drop of dew hadn't even fully split from the stone perch it was hanging from. Just make sure he's okay with that.

[[Veldora has confirmed consent. He wishes to explain further after the seal is broken.]]

In an instant, I felt the aura of my sworn brother writhing around inside my Stomach. The pressure was a lot to handle for a moment before he calmed down. A few moments after all that, he began talking to me.

{{Rimuru! It's been so long since we've spoken! You must tell me everything you've wanted to say all this time!}}

It really didn't seem easy to do that when we weren't standing face to face. Little hard when we're not in front of each other.

{{That's but a trifle to overcome! Manifest here, in my own little abode!}}

I can do that? I felt like I was better off not knowing that, otherwise I may become a neet in my own stomach.

[[This is true. Proceeding with manifestation in 3… 2… 1…]]

I opened my eyes and found myself in an endless inky black void, with an imposing dragon hunched in front of me.

Veldora stands to his full height and roars, in a showy way. "WELCOME, RIMURU TEMPEST!" He then gestured to me, which I didn't get.

I shrugged it off, and reached up to Veldora.

He seemed to get the gesture, reaching down with a claw for me to grasp onto.

We exchanged a moment of knowing gaze, and smiled, even if mine was half-hearted at best. It was good to see my brother again.

Veldora took notice, moving to pat my head. Everyone treated me like a kid, it seemed. "Recent events have been unfortunate, Rimuru. I truly am sorry for you." After that, he somehow managed to smile. "You are moving up in the world, though! You should be proud."

His voice was softer than I expected from such a large dragon, and almost… brotherly. It was just a little comforting.

I wouldn't be pulled into the bright side so fast. "Yeah, big guy. I understand that, but what about you? You must not be satisfied staying here, it has to be lonely."

"You'd be surprised." Veldora moved slightly, revealing that he was shielding three beings I recognized from view… Ifrit, that demon I acquired Miasma from, and the phantom that had attacked my students and Tiss. Two were cowing before me, and one was more… aroused?

Ick. I especially wasn't expecting that, and didn't have the mental bandwidth for any of it.

Veldora pushed the three aside, and blocked my view of them. "Oh Rimuru, I've been meaning to say this. Your human form truly is useful! It's allowed you to trounce around the human lands so freely! I must say I'm jealous."

I found that amusing, coming from an imposing beast of nature. "Huh, you think so? Well, you could always just make your own, right? I'm sure a True Dragon can do whatever they want."

"Oh… Maybe you're right." Veldora got a certain look of wonder, but I wasn't sure he could actually manage it.

"Well, even with the company, I'm sure you wanna get out of here and stretch your wings, right?" There was no way I was gonna believe he was really satisfied staying here, even with three "roommates" to keep him company.

"No, no! You don't understand Rimuru!" Veldora gestured to me broadly. "You gave me the opportunity to see things from the perspective of a mundane being! It has been truly interesting."

I decided to ignore Veldora calling me boring, he probably didn't mean it.

"Don't you wanna go out and rampage, though? I'm sure that show I gave you in Englesia got you pumped up." Was I goading him? Yes. But with how upset I was, I didn't care one bit.

Veldora stared longingly for a moment. In the end though, he proved the bigger man. "No. That's the same old thing I've been doing for as long as I can remember before I was imprisoned. I wish to sit back and watch you, for just a little while longer."

While this little argument was going on, I heard someone call out to me in the physical world.

Treyni the dryad was (yet again) trying to get my attention, and by this point she'd resorted to slapping me in the face repeatedly. She'd really gotten overconfident. I'd need to cut her down a peg sometime.

"Rimuru Tempest, your responsibilities to this forest must be fulfilled before you go off to the human lands to run errands." She really wasn't scared of me, it was refreshing, even if it did feed into her annoying nagging habits. Especially because she wasn't some overpowering presence like Veldora.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah… I get that, tree lady."

"The forest was invaded while you were away. It appears some monsters from the south were attracted by your strong presence; Aurora Birds." Treyni snickered, seeming to consider them harmless. "Eliminating them would be a good show of force, to your people."

They'd seriously followed me all the way here!? Maybe becoming a Demon Lord had one downside, just like Milim said; it made me a beacon for strong opponents.

I tried my best to shrug it off and respond in a level way.

"A show of force to my people, hm?" I looked around the cave, grasping for any excuse not to deal with this.

"Lord Veldora would've jumped at the opportunity for such a thing, and as you've chosen to become a Demon Lord, it is the approach you should take as well." Treyni didn't know veldora was back yet, which was great.

Otherwise she'd ask to see him, and we weren't ready for that just yet.

Treyni smiled in a wry way, she seemed to have cooked up with some serious ammunition. "I hear the grilled meat of these monsters is a true delicacy, many have killed just to taste the small amount that makes it onto the market."

I frowned deeply, did she really think I was so easy to tempt into slaughter?

…

The answer is yes, I dragged several of the largest avian carcasses I'd ever seen into the entrance of the cave. Storing them away would've been easier, but I needed some good ol' manual labor to distract me from my thoughts.

Dragging five birds halfway across Jura was just the kind of labor that did that.

It was hard, and tedious. I had to cut down plenty of trees on the way, and I made sure to stomp on any magical plants I saw along the way, just to get back at my local dryad.

She deserved it for sending me on some silly errand like this, even if now I'd finally get to taste the grilled flesh like planned.

I was quick to turn my fingers into knife-like claws the moment I got back to the mirror pool. Making quick work of each corpse, and with Raphael's assistance, I made all the cuts I was familiar with.

Drumsticks, wings, breasts, thighs, gizzard.

All the greats.

It was enough to distract me just a little while longer, every moment counted.

Really, I'd spent three days hunting those damned birds, and these were the last I'd killed before the flock finally retreated. Some evolved form that was far bigger and meaner, not like the three-headed one I'd seen in Frey's territory. These ones were more like elemental varieties with psychic abilities.

They tried to get into your mind and hold you in place while they blasted their specific brand of elemental attack.

Unfortunately for them, Raphael made my mind an impenetrable fortress.

Then, I set up a fire pit. Using some of the trees I'd cut down along the way as fuel, and set up a massive grill plate made of magisteel. It wasn't long before it was brown-hot.

I carefully spiced up every cut, and made my own sauce of some of the aforementioned squashed magic plants, before slathering it all together.

Finally, I arranged each cut in a delicate array, and put a glass dome on top so I could watch them cook, while evening out the heat inside.

I had a feeling the different elements of these birds would mean different cook times, so I wanted to keep a close eye on them.

It was only once I'd actually gotten my first bird off the grill that Veldora spoke up to me. {{Rimuru! I must show you something!}}

Sighing, I slipped the bird into my stomach. Then engaged Thought Acceleration completely, and manifested myself in front of Veldora.

Who I was met with was distinctly not who I was expecting, it was a chiseled tan hunk of man with bright blond hair and stark golden eyes. "What do you think, Rimuru! It took some effort, but I've managed a human form just like you said!"

"That's… Great?" I felt like I'd have been blushing if I still could, and was trying my hardest to keep my eyes pointed toward the 'ceiling'. Really didn't get why Veldora decided to become a human though. "How does it feel?"

"Small!" Veldora made a show of running around in circles and spreading his arms out like the wings of a plane. "I don't understand how your kind survived its infancy!"

Couldn't help but chuckle at that. "There's plenty of debate about that back on earth!" Really, his childlike excitement was contagious sometimes. It was hard not to get lost in it.

When the thought of children came to mind again though, I felt a pain deep in my gut. It was plenty enough to ruin the mood for me.

"I have to go, Veldora…"

"What's wrong, Rimuru?! Surely you aren't planning on leaving so soon?" Veldora stopped with a skid right in front of me, and put a hand on my head. "Maybe this new form could let me help you with your mission."

I gently pushed his hand off of me. "I don't think that's a good idea… Your aura is scarier than mine." I didn't even think a normal human could mistake Veldora for a normal guy, no matter how he dressed. They might not even survive an audience with him.

Not that it would be Veldora's fault, magicule poisoning is a serious concern for anyone around such gargantuan monsters.

"Surely there are ways around that you just haven–"

"Hey Veldora, just make sure to put some clothes on next time. Humans prefer you wear them." I left it at that, unable to listen any longer. Veldora was doing his best to offer help, but at the same time… He was just too cheery. I couldn't deal with it. The carefree nature of the Storm Dragon just didn't fit my current circumstances.

No matter how thankful I was to him for Naming me, and being my friend. I wouldn't forget that. Never.

Handling the joy was just too jarring.

The best way to thank Veldora for his friendship was taking my role as the Guardian of his forest more seriously, so today I sought out Treyni myself.

I wanted to see what she wanted me to do next, even if I was certain it would be a headache.

To my immense distaste, I found her creating a throne for me high up on top of the mountain which Veldora's cave sat inside. Around it was a clearing that was decorated like some medieval courtroom, with the tapestries, frescos, and banners.

It was all made out of… Unusual materials. I didn't know tree bark came in so many colors, especially not on the same tree. It couldn't be natural.

She'd made a show of depicting all my feats, with the recent addition of a 'painting' of striking down the last of the aurora birds with a bolt of lighting.

It was a lightning elemental itself, but I had wanted to see if that resistance would save it.

It didn't.

"Lord Rimuru, you made it. I've conscripted the local spirits to build a temple in your honor." Treyni grabbed my arm and eagerly dragged me up to the throne. "You arrived just in time, I've been arranging a meeting of the forest's leaders, and that includes you. They are coming to give their thanks."

"So, I'm assuming this seat is mine?" I groaned, staring at the spiky black stone chair she'd made for me. It really was straight out of a weeaboo's sketch-book.

"Of course, wouldn't you like to try it out." Treyni gave a long stare, it wasn't a question. Damn plant woman…

"I guess I could take a seat." I approached it, and turned around, plopping into it. The stone was carefully carved with a rounded divet. Shockingly comfortable to laze in.

Closing my eyes, I let myself drift off for a few moments. Not bothering with watching the outside world, Raphael could handle that. I was sure she'd wake me when the first of these leaders arrived.

What I woke up to was a slime hopping into my lap, with a notification from Raphael. [[The second strongest slime in the forest has arrived, it desires an audience with you.]]

I opened my eyes to see an ordinary blue slime, the typical Juran variety. No… maybe it was a bit stronger than others, but nothing too special in my eyes. I gave the little guy a pat. Treyni was standing to my left, and the court had since been filled with a whole herd of slimes.

A lot of them were the same ones that had been piled on top of me during my evolutionary slumber. It made sense these guys would be the first to my coronation, and I didn't mind their presence.

As far as the first real emissary goes, it wasn't some monster like I was expecting. They weren't a human either, though. Instead, I was greeted by a tall man, with sharp features, long pointy ears, and thin white hair. Despite his otherwise perfect form, he had deep bags under his eyes.

"Hark, Honorable Lord Rimuru! The Elder of the Elves of Jura requests an audience with thee!" One of the several armored guards called out to me, not really seeming to read the roo– er, field, and take note of no-one else here.

"I'm not doing anything?"

"I took it that you were conversing with your second in command!" The elf gestured to the slime in my lap.

"Ah." I was starting to feel there was a reason I'd never heard of the Elves of Jura, and that they seemed all but extinct. "What brings you to me, Elder?"

I didn't wanna keep talking to this guard guy, and just hoped the Elder would be better conversation.

In a moment, the Elven Elder was on the ground with his forehead firmly planted in the dirt. "Demon Lord Rimuru! We beg for your aid… our lands have been ravaged by an extended, brutal conflict between the Bovoid and Equinoid races. Our numbers are dwindling as some of us have fled the situation to find a place in other lands and I fear if things continue to go as they have been that Jura's elves will eventually be no more. Please, Great Demon Lord, put an end to the conflict my people and their homes have been swept up into without us even participating."

I'd zoned out half-way through the Elder's yapping. He really was an old man, even if he didn't look like one.

Partner, please summarize that mess for me.

[[He is asking for your assistance in stopping a war between the Equinoid and Bovoid races. The Juran elf tribes share a territory with them and have suffered many losses because of it.]]

"So you want me to go knock some heads to stop your people from being bullied to extinction?"

I heard Treyni softly groan to my side, but I ignored it.

"If you would be so gracious…" The Elven Elder made a show of pressing his forehead deeper into the dirt somehow.

"Well, I guess I can't have my own people fighting all the time. So, you know what? Sure. I'll take a look into it after all this." I remembered the Bovoids some, they are jerks. I was sure they'd show up to at least challenge me, or something.

I gestured for the elves to find a seat, they'd be staying while I solved their issues I bet, so they might as well spectate.

The elves listened quietly, which was good. Because it wasn't long before a loud troop of monsters showed up, shouting, hollering, and singing, all at the same time. It was none other than the Lizardmen.

They were trying to literally sing my praises. Unfortunately, most of them were terrible singers, especially my old buddy who was standing in the front next to his Father.

Gabiru, and the Chief of the Lizardmen, Abiru. (I wasn't feeling particularly creative after I finished off the Orc Disaster, was I?)

They didn't seem to care about that though, they were just happy to see me grow even stronger.

"Honor us with your grand wisdom, Lord Rimuru." Abiru wasn't yelling, but he could still be heard throughout the clearing anyway. The other lizardmen could learn a few things from the old coot.

"Hi, Chief Abiru, it's good to see you again." I opened with as bright a smile I could, but looking at myself with magic sense it was still barely lit. Nothing like my usual sunbeams.

"Lord Rimuru! Are you well? I can feel you are unhappy!" Now Gabiru had taken over the conversation, stepping in front of his father and giving me a genuine stare. "Perhaps you would prefer a solo performance! I am sure I can improve your mood!"

I didn't have the chance to actually say anything to the lizardman, before he started singing loudly. "~O' Glorious Demon Lord! We are your faithful sworn! ~ We will be your sword! Defend you from the humans' scorn!~"

Raising a hand, I communicated with my aura for him to stop. I did my best to appreciate the attempt, but he didn't know half the situation… Those lyrics sort of hurt.

"It's alright Gabiru, there's no need to cheer me up." I tried to be nice, and gestured for him to step aside. "I am glad you came, you lizardmen have always been loyal. I'd be pleased to keep you all as an audience… Do you have any requests though?"

"If you would, I request that you inform me of any plans you currently have for my people."

There was tension to those words. Did he think that I was going to turn into an overbearing tyrant?

"You can keep operating business as usual, Abiru. You're a capable leader, I don't see any reason to stick my nose in your business unless you decide to stir up trouble."

Abiru visibly relaxed.

"Maybe you could help me with something though, we'll see later." Leaving it with that seemed reasonable, I may need his leadership prowess in the future. Plus he could reach out to remote tribes for me.

"Of course, Lord Rimuru. Just say the word and we can discuss such things."

I smiled, happy to have someone to go to for people I couldn't personally talk to. Which would be great for a powerful monster like me.

After that I moved on, letting the lizardmen join the audience. Really wish I had prepared food ahead of time. If I knew I'd be hosting some big party, I would've.

Treyni didn't give me any warning for that, and it didn't seem like she considered food an important thought herself. Did dryads even need to eat? Maybe they just photosynthesize.

What even are dryads anyway? Tree spirits, if fiction from my previous world was anything to rely on for that. Still, I'd never directly asked Treyni before, but I did know she really didn't seem very solid. So her real body had to be somewhere else, and the body she talks to me with is just some magic projection of sorts.

Those were all questions for later.

The next person to walk up was also someone I knew, kinda. Orta, the orc I'd named to be their new leader. He was larger than I remembered from the last time I saw him. Stronger too, magicule-wise.

He silently stood in front of me, and it became awkward really quickly. Me just quietly staring back at the orc with very little idea of what he wanted.

"Uh, hey there…" I tried to strike up some kind of conversation.

That was enough to startle him, apparently. He was close to shaking just standing in front of me, I had good reason to just feel bad for the guy.

I guess the orcs really did fear me. Another thing to not to feel great about.

"Well, uh. Thank you for all your service. I hear you've done a bang-up job out there, buddy. You've really helped your kind integrate and make themselves useful."

I felt like I was on the other side of a certain interaction I'd had in my last life.

My boss called me in for a sudden meeting with one of the higher-ups, with Tamura. The kid was terrified he'd get fired. Instead, we were just congratulated on our performance.

I hoped it didn't seem like I was just doing a gift-card handoff.

The orc huffed, and nodded. "Thank you." It really seemed to be the best the big guy could manage, his kind really was just afraid of me.

"Treyni, show this fine monster to a seat. He's earned that much." I decided not to keep this going, if the big guy couldn't talk any longer.

Yet, I was pleasantly surprised. "Please… Wait. Lord Rimuru, I have others… I must speak for them. The Goblin tribes cannot handle your presence… Therefore, they have requested I pass on their deep gratitude to you, and their sworn allegiance."

He said more for the goblins than he said for the orcs. Maybe he wasn't so bad. "Thank you for passing along the message. How about the orcs though?" I wanted to see if I could get that much out of him.

"Our allegiance stays with you… We will serve." Orta, at that, made his way to a seat on the ground. Even sitting on the floor, there were people here he towered over.

The next interaction may have been the most annoying, but not the worst (you'll understand that later). I was confronted with one horse-headed man and one minotaur pushing their way through my small, but growing audience.

They showed little care for those around them, and truly just seemed focused on getting to me first.

I put on a scowl as they approached. They were interrupting my court.

[[These are the representatives of the Mezu tribe, and Gozu tribe, respectively. They were the warring factions of which the Elven Elder spoke.]]

In that case, I had every excuse to be upset. The way they barged in showed these two didn't care about anyone else at all.

The Gozu was first to speak, shoving the Mezu aside and more or less yelling at me. "Lord Rimuru! We, the Gozu, have sought your aid for some time! You see, your show of strength to us! It left an impact among our people! Allow us to serve you as faithful guardians, and all we ask in return is the extermination of these disgusting horses!" Even though he was declaring 'loyalty', there still was an irritating feeling of arrogance and entitlement to the way he talked.

But he was oddly well spoken, maybe he'd been practicing ever since our last apparent meeting?

I did vaguely remember crashing through a village of minotaurs and roughing a few of them up.

The Mezu didn't take the shove lying down, and only seemed to wait for the Gozu to stop talking to get the element of surprise. He slammed his hooved foot into the bull-man's gut, sending him tumbling. "No, Lord Rimuru! Allow us to serve as your guardians! We have never underestimated you! We knew from the start you were a powerful leader! Help us, the Mezu, exterminate the Gozu."

'Let me serve you' 'no no, let me serve you' puih to all of that. I sat up and spread out my aura, surrounding the two with it and forcing them to kneel. It took a surprising amount of force to make them do it. "You'll both behave, or the only way you'll serve me is as lunch." I put extra venom in the words to make sure my anger got across.

The two didn't fight at that, falling quiet, finally.

"Now, you will both stay here, and be polite to even the lowliest monster. I have matters to talk to both of you about after this is over."

I leaned back in my chair and let them shuffle away before deciding to tease in a more playful way.

Pulling the slime from earlier into my lap again, I called the two out. "This is the only guard I need, after all." I made extra sure to gesture at the little guy. After bathing in my aura for several days… man, they really weren't far off those twos' strength when it came to energy.

After those conflict-hungry meatheads, I got a visit from the charming little kobolds. Unfortunately I didn't get to see them up close, they couldn't handle my aura either.

Instead, Abiru took up the courtesy of speaking for them.

He informed me they wished to swear loyalty, on the condition they could continue their trade with the humans' lands.

I, in turn, allowed that on the condition they didn't bring any humans into the forest without telling me first.

In all my time, I'd learned this forest was no place for humans. Plus, anyone who could handle it was probably here to challenge me. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of my people bringing enemies right to my doorstep.

At least not without me asking them to.

Being a leader was getting exhausting.

Treyni stepped away and into the middle of the court, and her sisters appeared around her. "Lord Rimuru, the remaining tribes cannot speak with you directly. For they cannot handle your presence. Us Dryads will speak in their place."

I understood that, but it was still upsetting. I'm a danger to my own people.

Veldora's voice piped up, as he decided to comfort me himself. {{It's a common problem at the pinnacle of the world, Rimuru. It can be lonely, but at least we have each other.}}

I smiled, it was true.

After all the formal bullshit, we finally moved on to festivities. Eating, drinking, the good stuff. The kobolds had thought ahead, bringing food and drink as tribute. So we could all enjoy the evening.

I found myself sitting on my throne in slime form, just a little bit dazed. Dealing with people all day had left me drained.

Unfortunately though, it wasn't over. I had one last, particularly unpleasant audience.

A group of humans made an oddly cordial entrance into the clearing, making their way through the partying monsters. Going somehow unnoticed.

Well, except for Treyni and I. She had a gaze fixed on them from the start, clearly getting an unsavory feeling.

Yet, all the small group did was come to me and kneel. I knew they had at least one with them unwillingly. An elf girl with a bag firmly tied to her head.

It made my insides bubble with a tiny bit of anger, especially considering the story I'd heard of elves going missing. This had to be one of the groups they were going to.

For what, I wasn't sure. I had an inkling forming though.

The leader of the group was a slender man with greasy black hair and a patch on his eye. He clearly didn't exactly respect my appearance, because he was trying hard not to look at me directly.

The gaul of a stifled chuckle in front of me.

I entered human form to make talking to them easier, and pulled my slime companion into my lap. The second strongest slime and I had really bonded over the evening.

They were expressing all sorts of cool things to me, like the time they probably ate a bee hive, considering the feelings were 'sharp, sweet, buzz, goo.' I felt a bit calmer holding them as a result.

Seeing my change in appearance to something he probably found more palatable, the leader of the group rose and introduced himself. "Lord Rimuru, our sincerest apology for intruding. My name is Reynolds. This is my adventuring party."

"State your purpose." I didn't want to put any bit of fake happiness into my tone, I got all sorts of creepy vibes from this dude.

The man bowed. "Of course, My Lord. We were sent here to discover your whereabouts, with your forest being so grand… The remnants of the Free Guild wish to know where you make home."

Didn't want them knowing any of that, to be honest. The Free Guild had a thing out for me, and I knew that at least. I'd destroyed their Headquarters completely when I attacked Englesia.

"I can feel your pause, Mighty Demon Lord." Reynolds put his hands out to show he was unarmed. "You would never wish an army on your doorstep, and for my own sake, neither would I. We may lie, if you so wish."

Closing my eyes, I let Raph take a crack at figuring these guys out.

[[It can be assumed these humans are attempting to force you into an ultimatum.]]

That's what it felt like, Reynolds was seriously buttering it up so far.

Taking it head on, I put on a confident tone. "Tell me, Reynolds. Why would you do something like that for a true monster like me?"

"Understand me well, Lord Rimuru." Pretentious asshole… "We have certain activities in this forest, for which we seek your blessing. Truly, we wish for nothing but a good, mutually beneficial relationship."

"And what would those activities be, human?" I pat the slime to stay calm while the hammer dropped. I couldn't just go ballistic, not with so many of my people here. Not again.

"You see, Lord Rimuru! We understand you are a hunter yourself, you've made grand shows of your hunts in the past… We too, could be called hunters." He finally tore the bag from the face of the elf hostage he'd been keeping. "And these creatures are our bounty."

I was only barely holding myself back, and I had to rely on Treyni to shield the view of the Elven emissaries… Such a mess.

Reynolds smiled broadly. "I thought bringing one for you would be a token of our appreciation, for your lands which have made us so wealthy. They sell very well among the nobles of the west."

They were slavers. Slavers who were stealing my people. Insignificant bugs that deserved nothing but a boot crushing them into a gooey paste.

I silently stared, considering my next move very, very carefully. I didn't need thought acceleration for it, but I did need a moment to think about how to kill them without much collateral damage.

"I see you are taken aback, but please know, we are aware we must offer more. We will provide tribute for each successful hunt, a consistent slice of our proceeds." Reynolds then pulled at the bag of another man, who still knelt in front of me. He revealed it was filled to the brim with gold coins. "Of course, we brought one in advance, as a show of faith."

Not being able to listen to another word from the sniveling trashbag's mouth, I just announced my position. "No."

Reynolds held his chest, feigning hurt. "Someone like yourself has surely done far worse… Someone like yourself also surely knows, we could tell far stronger adversaries of your nesting place."

I almost wanted to chuckle at that.

"We know you may kill us, but we have a camp ready to scatter. Each of them holding a message for the Holy Church of Luminous." Reynolds put on a broad, disgusting smile. "If we do not return alive, and with a yes, at least one will pass it along."

I actually did start laughing… These humans were just too much!

"An opportunistic slime like yourself could never stand to the organized power of the Holy Chur–"

My laughter deafened him, as I let it grow louder. I took my chance to take control of the conversation. "You know what? Slimes are opportunists. We are feisty little creatures when we need to be. Little predators." I urged the slime in my lap to move forward with my feelings. "I'll give you a demonstration."

Reynolds pulled a blade from his boot, one I knew he'd been concealing. "What could a single slime do?"

"Single?"

A massive purple tendril emerged from the ground and pinned the man, immediately his clothes started dissolving.

It wasn't long before that rocky slime had captured the entire group, with the exception of the elf prisoner. She was pulled to safety by a very, very brave lizardman woman.

Slimes from all over the little court-clearing were amassing atop the group of slavers. Fighting, pushing, and writhing.

Each of them pulling for even the smallest morsel.

I was most proud of my little buddy, they managed to get a whole human all to themself. As a bonus, it was the guy with the bag of gold. The slime got a bit more opaque and gained a nice golden hue.

Reynolds was given a much worse fate, torn apart by almost a dozen weaker slimes. They dissolved him alive. I couldn't be more proud of my kind.

What did I do to make all this happen? It's simple. All I did was offer my kind a meal, and they came running to get their fill.

The results were better than I was expecting, and I considered naming my little buddy sometime in the future, especially with them making themself stand out so much. It seemed like the golden color was a permanent thing.

I had other matters to attend to though, as I took flight.

Weeding out that little camp they talked about… and maybe offering it up as another meal for my wonderful fellow slimes.