Back To The Village.

The next day…

I let Rigur and his people handle breakfast. Goblin food was, well,

pretty simple. Just heat and eat. Haute cuisine it wasn't, not that I could taste it.

If I ever pick up that sense again, I'll have to teach

them the finer points, I guess.

Food one can look forward to is one of the first steps toward an advanced culture.

Could these goblins really acclimatize to "culture," though? I thought so.

I had no idea how, but I wanted to test out everything I could.

If we got tripped up over cooking, that would be a bad start.

I was initially curious on Fubuki's methods, but after seeing him sprout out some cool-looking demon wings, I cursed him to my heart's content.

There was his signature smug look that really enticed me to spit out some acid on that stupid face of his.

Is that a challenge? Oh—you're on!!—is what I would normally say, but with his absurdity, who knows—I bet he could fly at insane speeds.

Damn bastard, you'll pay for this!!

Well, let's move on to another topic.

The dwarves were up, still white as sheets.

Rimuru: 「You all right?」

"Y…yes… Where are we?"

As they slowly shook out the drowsiness from last night's sleep, they realized they were in an unfamiliar territory.

It unnerved them. I explained that we were on our way to the village these goblins called home.

"Wh-what?! That would be a journey of some two months,

normally! We won't have enough food unless we procure a cart at

some nearby town!"

Fubuki: 「Uhh, would you believe me if I told you that you blacked out for two months and a day?」

"... I'm not a fool."

Fubuki: 「Worth the shot. You never know when an idiot slips in the squad.」

"Alright—!! You started it. You're on, miss!!"

Fubuki: 「I'm a guy, asshole!!」

"—And I'm a dwarf, not an asshole, woman!!"

Fubuki: 「Urgh, for the love of—what's the problem with you calling me a man!?!」

"It's a sin!! How are you a man?! Give me one good reason why I should call you a man!!"

Fubuki: 「I—!」

"Where'd your mustache go to, huh?! Where?! Look at those muscles."—he roared.

"Your skin is less than a centimeter apart from your bones! No biceps, no triceps, not even an abdominal muscle! Where'd they all go to!?!"—(Note: It's just an exaggeration.)

It's a little late to be surprised about that, isn't it?

I, for one, would've asked if he had a "son" to begin with if not for his backstory.

Well, our journey was filled with debate over Fubuki's gender.

He, the victim, could only fly ahead of us whilst muttering some nonsensical words nobody paid attention to.

Our eyes were lit ablaze as we argued over points that made up his gender.

The points of arguments were:

"Eh? But I don't see any good looking melons of the sort."

"He could simply be flat as hell."

"But his clothing belongs to males."

"We do have those transgendering assholes and stuff, no?"—so on and so forth.

In short, Fubuki reaped what he sew.

I wanted to say, but—thinking about it—I hadn't really explained much to them, had I?

Things like how we got here and how fast we were going.

We weren't in a hurry today, so I decided to take the time to explain in detail about what we were doing.

Breakfast happened to be served right then.

It was just a few wild hares roasted whole, but it was more than enough stimulus for the dwarves' stomachs to start rumbling.

Guess they can keep food down,

at least.

As they ate, I reviewed our future plans.

We would be at the village in another two days or so, I explained.

"""No…"""

They whispered in unison, realizing exactly how fast those wolves were taking them.

Rimuru: 「Hey, don't worry!」 I replied.「Once you get used to it, it's a breeze!」

It'd be nice if they could get used to it, but I figured we'd probably reach the end of the journey before then.

We set off back down the road.

Time to build a 『Thought Communication』 space for us.

Now that I'd done it a few times, it came naturally to me. The dwarves picked up on it, too, which was a relief.

『Thought Communication』 was a sort of high-level version of Telepathy, letting you build links and talk with multiple people at once.

It also made things like strategy meetings easier for us.

Surprisingly, Fubuki already knew of such a skill. According to him, he already had it.

I didn't believe it until I saw him in action.

This dude has too many skills for my liking. I've gotta meet up to him. Yes, I need to up my game.

I wonder if he'll tell me about some of his skills, though.

Well, the skill in particular remained effective across a range of half a mile or so, which was more than enough for my purposes.

On the second day, the dwarves seemed largely capable of

remaining on their rides without passing out.

The force of the wind kept them from opening their eyes, so I built a sort of visor for them

all from silk.

It's kind of like a helmet replacement, I suppose, and it

seemed to do the trick.

I also started noticing that I could control my Sticky Thread to

some extent via 『Telepathy.』

Once you got used to controlling

magicules, it was amazing what you could do with them.

Sticky Thread probably wasn't the only thing I could apply that to, either.

These little particles were the essence of magic.

Either way, the dwarves were getting into the swing of things, and their makeshift helmets were having the effect I wanted.

I could talk with them now, and they were kind enough to teach me a thing or two about life in their kingdom as we rode on.

The goblins were listening in as well, chiming in about their own experiences, and we had a nice,

friendly confab for much of the day.

This should keep up in the village, too, I hoped. Dwarves, being partially sprites, were extraordinarily long-lived.

Goblins, being partially magic-born, were notoriously short-lived.

Evolution—or perhaps living conditions—had created a fairly large difference between the two.

I sometimes wondered if goblins were actually a step down the

evolutionary ladder.

Hobgoblins, the next step up, seemed a bit like the monster

equivalent of dwarves to me.

Like they had gone back to their

ancestral roots, in a way, with a lot more magic force at their disposal.

I wouldn't know for sure, but I imagined the evolution did wonders for their life spans as well.

They still weren't the handiest, though, and there was a stark

difference between monsters and fairies, but still…

Dwarves, for their part, were probably more closely related to

monsters than, say, elves, another sprite race.

Maybe that would help these two species get along, too.

As I suddenly remembered something else, I decided to bring it up.

Rimuru: 「Kaijin. I know I'm a little late asking, but are you okay with this? You really respected that king, didn't you?」

Kaijin: 「Oh, that? I did, yes. There isn't a dwarf alive who doesn't respect him. Imagine having the hero of your nightly fairy tales serving as your actual king!」

It was an interesting thing to consider—the mythical heroes of the past, still alive and kicking and protecting their people as king.

That would help me build a pretty healthy respect, yeah. I'd want to support him—this ideal king, one who always did the right thing and never allowed room for mistakes.

I wondered how much he had to sacrifice to maintain that ideal in reality.

In a way, it was frightening. It took a lot of spirit, I'm sure, to be a leader like that.

That was what made people believe in him.

…Was I ready for that? I had become, more or less, the master of this goblin village. But what comes after that?

Fubuki:「Well, if you say so, let me ask you this, then, Kaijin.

Why did you come with us? Wouldn't it have been the best thing for your life if you rejoined the king?」

I didn't expect Fubuki to speak out after his long reign of silence, but hearing him once in a while was still comforting.

Kaijin: 「Gah-hah-hah-hah! Well! A lot more sensitive than I thought, eh, Fubuki?

I did it because it looked like fun. It was just instinctual—you

know?

Like, "Hey, this guy's gonna go out and do some crazy shit!" That's all the reason I needed, y'know?」

…Yeah. Maybe. Fair enough. He's right!

Rimuru: 「Heh」 I retorted.「Well, don't come crying to me later if it turns sour. I'm pretty well-known for being mean to people!」

It was true. I did practically nothing by myself. I entrusted

everything to others.

But I did want to help. To be relied on. I wanted to be the sort of person who could manage that.

Fubuki: 「Plus, I think you made the right decision. From here on, your life's gonna become one crazy mess.

You'll get to acquire knowledge you never knew existed, and you'll end up being stuck in the chaos.

I've seen your will, but do you think you can face the challenge? It's straining.」

Fubuki added to spice it up. Well, in the end, I see his contribution as him simply giving a foreshadowing warning.

I guess the moment we also met was the moment my life became attached to this chaos.

Well, I don't mind as long as I get to live and enjoy what it presents.

After all, I'm not your everyday slime, Fubuki's not your run-of-the-mill demon, and Veldora's definitely not a normal dragon.

Kaijin: 「Oh, I know!」 Kaijin replied. 「I knew what was coming for me the moment I decided to join you two, and then, I was excited.

You know, the feeling you get when you feel like you're on the path to greatness.

That's how I felt. So, no matter how you look at it, I am ready to face it all.」

I nodded, satisfied.

Fubuki also seemed to like this answer very much; the thought seemingly derived from the way he was smiling.

Two days later, we arrived at the village on time. Mission

accomplished!

 ◇◇◇

So there we were. Back at the goblin village. It had been only about two weeks, but I was seriously starting to miss it a little.

Assuming you wanted to call it a village at all. It was more of an empty space with a fence around it.

While we were gone, a few simple tents had been pitched around

the area.

There were signs of progress, at least. I spotted a large iron

pot situated over the remains of the central campfire.

Goblin cuisine used to be all about spit-roasting—but now they'd added simmering to

the mix!

This was a truly remarkable development. Where'd they get that thing?

Taking a closer look, I realized it was fashioned from the shell

of a big turtle.

Man, how much did they expand their hunting grounds while I was gone? I was glad they'd kept their home base safe, at least.

The resident hobgoblins spotted our returning party quickly,

greeting us with cheers and applause.

I had rudely forgotten to bring

souvenirs, but given the monster pelts and such I spotted drying here and there—proceeds from their hunting, no doubt—I was sure the dwarves would have everyone kitted up and clothed before long.

I'd like the goblins to make that stuff themselves later, but let's take it one step at a time, alright?

I tried looking around for Rigurd so I could introduce the dwarves

to him. I didn't need to. He ran right up to us.

I thought he was just excited to see us, but he had something bothering him instead.

Fubuki: 「Oh? Rigurd, what's up?」

Rigurd: 「Welcome back, my lords!」 he said before I could ask. 「I hate to bother you so soon after returning, my lords, but we have visitors…」

Visitors? …But I don't remember having any friends.

Fubuki decided to show the dwarves around.

They would be living here for a while, and I was sure they were curious to see what it was like.

I also stowed the tools I'd brought along in an empty tent,

figuring the covering would at least offer some protection against the elements.

Leaving our new residents to Rigur, I had the elder guide me to our guests.

He took me to one of the larger tents, which had been converted into a sort of meeting room.

Who could it be? I guess I'll

find out, I thought as I bounced in.

It better be some beautiful damsel in distress!

Once I passed under the flap, I stopped. Inside were a bunch of

goblins—the regular kind.

Several of them were well dressed, each one accompanied by a handful of servants.

Some elders and their guards,

maybe? Nobody was armed. Not that I minded that.

Before I could ask what was up, the goblins prostrated themselves

on the floor.

"""It is an honor to meet you, O great master!""" they all shouted in unison.

"""Please, listen to our most earnest of hopes!"""

Great master? I guess they mean me, but really, that's going too

far. They sure believed it, though.

Their eyes couldn't have been more longing or resolute. There was no telling what they wanted, but I figured I'd hear them out.

Rimuru: 「All right. Go ahead.」

"Oh, thank you for your generosity!" one of the elders shouted. "All of us here wish to join your throngs of followers, sir!"

"""Please, grant us your magnanimous kindness!!""" the others said as they remained on the floor, eyes turned to me before bowing low.

Honestly, I didn't want to deal with this.

We're just getting started with the rebuilding process here, guys. I don't have time to waste on you!

But in the end, who'd take the words of a slime seriously?

I would've loved to simply shoo them off. But we did have a lack of manpower around here. And I could already picture the turf wars these guys would want to spring upon us sooner or later.

Maybe it was best to take them in while we still could.

Fubuki: 「If you try to stab us in the back after that, I'll just kill ya'll all. Got that?」

Fubuki, who somehow left his job to reach out to us, spoke up.

Maybe he left the village introduction to one of the goblins.

"H-Haai!!!"

That was good. I wouldn't take kindly to traitors. Rose-colored glasses would just get in the way when you were leading a pack of monsters.

You had to keep a cool head around them.

That was part of the reason I was willing to take these goblins in—because I wanted to prove to myself that I meant business.

Once again, I reminded myself that if these guys turn out to be

traitors, I will personally kill every one of them.

It was amazing how I could think about killing people as if I were wondering where to go for lunch, though.

It came as a surprise, but—hell—it beat hemming and hawing over every life decision I made. Keep it simple.

By the way, if these were just the envoys, how many goblins were

we talking overall? I sighed.

I might have a hell of a lot of names to think up soon.

The guards accompanying the goblin elders had gone back to their respective villages to report the news.

So what did they have to say?

To sum up, their story went a bit like this…

It all began with the recent disruptions to the order around the forest.

The other villages had de facto abandoned Rigurd's during the

direwolf attack in part because they simply had no combat resources left to assign to the place.

All the intelligent races in this forest—the orcs, the lizardmen, and the ogres, too—were starting to step up and stake their claims on this wood.

There had been smaller arguments along those lines before, but

there was also a sort of silent agreement that nobody would let it get to armed conflict.

With the forest's one and true overseer out of the picture, however, there were more than a few races out there ready to

vent some steam.

Monsters, in general, had a tendency to puff up and engage in

regular displays of power.

Now, every village in the forest was rapidly preparing itself to kick some ass.

It was only a matter of time before something got the ball rolling.

And goblins, the wimpiest kids on the playground, were doomed to let most of these other races lay total waste to them.

This, naturally, alarmed most of the other goblin elders. The

moment they got involved in this cross-forest turf war, it'd be over for them.

So they held a conference, talked it over for several days, and

were all too blockheaded to come up with any decent ideas.

Not that I would have expected them to…

News of the impending direwolf attack came in the midst of this,

but their attention was focused elsewhere.

Rigurd's village was left for

dead and all but forgotten. Their talks continued, with no miracles in sight.

Just as the villages' food stocks were starting to run low, they

heard word of yet another new forest menace—rumors of massive,

dark beasts, piloted by people riding on their backs.

They sped through the trees as if traversing flat plains, and they utterly vanquished the more powerful monsters of the forest.

Who were they? 

The concept made the goblins tremble with fear and surprise.

They were apparently…ex-goblins.

Opinions were split on how to handle this.

Some suggested that they travel to them immediately and beg for protection.

Others found the tale too extraordinary to swallow, concerned that it might be a trap

and refusing to believe that the ex-goblins would have no reason to trick them.

Trap or not, though, there was no guarantee this new race would

accept them. Especially since they'd abandoned Rigurd's village.

Forgiveness appeared a futile hope for many of the elders. Even

goblins were capable of shame, it turned out.

In the end, realizing they had reached the far end of their intellect, the conference ended with a total lack of any concrete conclusion.

Well, I guess this is the reason why humans are more progressive than other creatures.

So the side that sought our protection decided to travel over here.

Now, it all made sense. Still, pretty selfish of them, wasn't it?

We're talking about weak, stupid, helpless goblins, though, so I should have known better.

I'd already agreed to take them in, besides.

Rimuru: 「Anyone who wants to come over, have at it.」 I told the goblin representatives.

That was enough to send them back home for now.

 ◇◇◇

In the royal capital of the Great Empire of Silverion existed a big, prosperous business that operated on a large scale.

It operated on such a large scale that it was globally known as the biggest organization in the world.

It began as a business, steadily climbing the ranks and taking over the market with the frequent introduction of advanced products mixed with the invention of modern technology, then advancing into a large-scale business that takes care to the world's demands.

Even now, it continued to blossom into a business the world depended on.

Various famous nobles and aristocrats from different nations all over the world were usually be seen in this particular setting, making business deals and negotiations.

They had long had the monopoly, now seeing the market as their plaything.

With several branches in different places all over the world, it was clear that they had been around for eons.

It also didn't help that the founder of this worldwide business was the closest friend to the Empress of the Empire.

This global web of influence was all managed by the individual known as Rose, also known as the "Pink Empress."

A cunning tycoon who cared less about the state of affairs, a being who only always did things to satiate her own pleasure.

Her status as a primordial was unknown to the world. One of the many reasons would be the name she adopted for reference.

She wielded power beyond human comprehension.

Her influential power was unmatched, and her combat prowess had long reached the level of the transcendentals.

Rose had long honed her combat prowess to the level of gods, making her the ultimate combat life-form.

「Note: Do not mistake this for an ultimate life-form. It's just for reference sake. Example: The "Supreme Combat Specy."」

Her magical force has reached its peak, a result of amassing energy to the brim, and by doing this, she has reached her energy threshold (limit).

The next best thing for her would be to evolve.

But alas, this is not what she is currently bothered about.

Even with all her accomplishments and achievements, Rose still found herself feeling empty.

She felt that she had it all; be it power, wealth, fame, connections, so on, and so forth.

—And yet, she still felt that there was something missing.

It was just an aching feeling, but annoyingly so, she felt the weight it carried.

She was always embraced by this hollow emptiness that filled her mind with questions.

Really, what is this missing fragment?

All she could do was ask herself this whilst striving to get the answer that she had yearned for years to come.

This was how a certain lonely primordial lived.

—————————————————————————————————

「Note: The end is here, fellow readers and authors. I am pleased with the progress so far, and I hope you are too.

Well, there's this issue I want to tackle. After re-reading my work, I realized multiple mistakes that kept on reoccurring even after numerous correction.

Not only the word errors, but also the explanations of what I understand and how the world of tensura works.

One example would be how magic works. The physics magic I had tried to explain turned out to be an entirely different concept when compared to what I defined, and now, I ended up regretting my actions.

This note is to alert you of a few changes that may occur in the previous chapters, so please be aware. Ignorance isn't an excuse, after all.

With that information lain out, I hope you do keep it in mind. A few alterations will be made, and some of the previous chapters will be edited, but not on a major scale.

I am pleased to see this story progress into what it is today, and I hope this continues for the safety of your existence.

Wanna know why? Well, no biggies, but if I don't see my votes reaching out, I will make sure you regret existing. You will not even get the chance to question your existence when you find yourself falling from a plane into a volcano. Hehehe~

Well, forget that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did, please make sure to hit the vote button. The more the merrier. Let me not delay you any longer. Bye!」

Word Count: 「3895」.