“Ah, yes.
It’s nothing,” I replied.
“It’s just that your response surprised me a little.”
Trying to change the subject, I went ahead and introduced myself:
“Anyway, my name is Kaelion,” I said.
“But you can call me Kael.
Don’t worry about any kind of formality.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rimuru replied.
“I am Rimuru Tempest, a slime!” he exclaimed cheerfully.
I just chuckled softly.
“Do you have anything planned at the moment?” I asked him.
“With my monster appearance, I’m not entirely sure how to interact with humans, and so far, I haven’t encountered any other intelligent creatures besides you.
So, I’ve just been wandering through the forest.
Do you have any plans?”
“Naruhodo, naruhodo [I see, I see],” he said.
“It makes sense.
Your appearance might scare humans, but it doesn’t bother me at all, so don’t worry.
For now, if you want, we can travel together, since I don’t really have a clear destination either.
What do you say?”
Wow, I intended to tag along with him from the start, but having him invite me directly makes things so much easier.
It seems that being a fellow reincarnated soul has really made him trust me.
“Sure, why not?” I replied.
I was about to keep talking, but a series of sounds resembling footsteps caught our attention.
It didn’t take long to see that the culprits were a small group of goblins.
Before we could say anything, the one who seemed to be the leader spoke up first:
“You, strong beings, do you have any business here?”
While Rimuru just looked confused, the goblins were so terrified it looked as though death itself was staring them in the face.
Even so, the leader seemed to have just enough courage to challenge us if it came down to it.
“So, what do you want?” Rimuru asked.
“We felt your aura, strong ones, near our village and came to investigate,” replied the group’s leader.
“‘Strong ones’?
Where?” Rimuru asked, looking around.
“Don’t joke around,” the future Rigur quickly replied.
With nothing better to do, I convinced Rimuru to go.
“Just to pass the time,” was the excuse I used.
When we arrived at the village, we were directed to what was supposed to be the main house; but given the state of the settlement, it just looked like a heap of branches and leaves piled together.
Shortly after we settled into the hut, an elderly goblin who looked about three hundred years old came in to greet us, offering what appeared to be some tea.
Rimuru downed his tea in an instant.
For my part, after spending so much time in the forest, even that tea tasted pleasant, even if it actually wasn’t.
While I calmly sipped my drink, Rimuru and the elder conversed.
When the elder goblin pointed out the massive power Rimuru was releasing, Rimuru actually seemed to blush.
I couldn’t help but chuckle, which didn’t seem to please him very much.
To cover up his embarrassment, he made it seem like his aura was actually some kind of test he was putting them through.
In any case, the elder ended up begging for our help, prompting Rimuru to ask if they had anything to offer in return.
The old man did not hesitate to pledge his loyalty.
Knowing that Rimuru would end up agreeing anyway, I decided to step in.
“I don’t mind.
Helping them shouldn’t be a problem, and we might even learn a thing or two,” I said to Rimuru.
“Mmh, you’re right.
Alright, we’ll help you!
Gather everyone who is able to fight in the center of the village.”
Having received his orders, the elderly goblin set off immediately.
“Why did you agree to help them so easily?” the slime asked me.
“There’s no specific reason.
Helping them poses no danger to us, and besides, their courage won me over,” I replied.
We quickly went outside to see around sixty supposedly battle-ready goblins, which included women and the young.
To make matters worse, the elder told us that it took about ten goblins to take down a single wolf, and there were around a hundred wolves in the pack.
While Rimuru was busy pondering what to do, I decided to take charge of the situation.
Since I couldn’t name all of these creatures yet, I figured gaining their trust through leadership would be beneficial for the future.
“Those of you who can work, gather all the wood you can—even from your own houses—and start building a fence around the village.
Once you have the materials, come consult me on how to build it.
For now, have someone lead us to the injured.”
“Well thought.
A direct fight would have been disastrous,” my new friend told me.
A little later, inside the shelter where the wounded lay, Rimuru healed everyone with his potions.
I asked him for a few of them and stored them in my “Filter” without any issue.
And so, the rest of the day went by.
By the following evening, the barricade had been completed according to my instructions and Rimuru’s.
We both had to pitch in with our powers to reinforce it, but at least we had a defense.
When the wolves finally appeared on the horizon, only Rimuru and I stood waiting at the sole entrance to the village.
“If you withdraw right now, we promise not to harm you,” Rimuru declared loudly.
This warning only seemed to bruise the ego of the pack’s alpha, who ordered some of his wolves to attack.
They quickly fell prey to the traps Rimuru and I had set.
In the end, in a fit of rage, the wolf boss lunged at us and was killed by Rimuru.
Rimuru used his Predator skill to consume him, transformed into the wolf leader, and gave the remaining pack a choice: surrender or die.
They accepted submission without any hesitation.
Since we had dismantled their huts to build the barricade, we all ended up sleeping around a campfire like one big family.
The next morning, Rimuru gathered everyone, and after a brief chat, decided to give them all names—which ended up knocking him out cold for the next three days.
When he finally woke up, he couldn’t believe the massive evolution the wolves and goblins had undergone.
Even though I had watched them change slowly with my own eyes, it was still a breathtaking sight.
After gathering everyone once more and being formally recognized as the village leaders, Rimuru announced three rules (which he would later come to regret):
Do not attack humans.
Do not fight among yourselves.
Do not look down on or mistreat other species.
Following this, we realized that with their current living conditions and lack of proper clothing, we wouldn’t make much progress.
Thus, Rimuru decided to embark on a journey to the Dwarven Kingdom, spurred by the tales of its wonders told by the newly appointed goblin chief, Rigurd.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come along?” Rimuru asked me, sitting atop Ranga alongside a group of wolves and goblins.
“No, thank you.
Like I told you, there’s something else I need to take care of.
Besides, you’ve got this fully covered,” I replied.
“I understand,” he said.
“See you then.
Don’t do anything reckless while we’re gone, Kael.
Bye!”
“Hurry back, you guys,” I said as they departed.