บท 3: Village Chief, Rigurd!
Ciel: <>
Voice of the World: <<>>
******
After a few days of leisurely exploration within the cave, Rimuru and Veldora exited and began walking through the Jura Forest. Unlike their previous encounter when Rimuru first met Veldora, this time Rimuru was emitting a powerful aura that frightened the animals and alerted the goblins to his presence in the forest.
"So, brother, where are we going next?" Veldora asked as he lazily walked beside Rimuru.
"Nowhere in particular," Rimuru replied, "but I have a hunch that something interesting is going to happen soon."
"Something interesting, huh?" Veldora raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and continued following Rimuru. But then just as Rimuru had said, something did happen. A group of tiny goblins obstructed their path. Veldora also noticed that the goblins were carrying low-quality weapons and shields and had bruises and injuries all over their bodies.
"What's their deal?" Veldora asked, addressing no one in particular.
"Don't worry, let me handle this," Rimuru said as he walked toward the goblins and positioned himself in front of them. "So, goblins, tell me, why have you obstructed our path? Are you perhaps planning to rob us?" he asked, his gaze piercing as he considered having a bit of fun before helping them.
<Master is really cruel.>
Ignoring Ciel's comment, Rimuru focused on the goblins, who were now trembling in fear while kneeling before him. "You are mistaken, oh great one! We would never dare," the goblin with the red bandana, who was leading the group, stammered in a panicked voice. "If you are still offended by us, please take my head and spare my comrades!"
"I don't need your head, I have no use for it and you can all raise your heads since I am not angry either," Rimuru said, dismissively waving his hand. "So, why are you here anyway?" Rimuru asked.
"The thing is, our village is just ahead. We felt a strong Demon's aura there and immediately came to investigate," the goblin with the red bandana explained. "Also, if it isn't too much trouble, would you like to come to our village?"
"Your village, huh?" Rimuru said, pretending to think as he rubbed his chin. He then turned toward Veldora and asked, "What do you think?"
"I don't care," Veldora shrugged. "We can go if you want to, not that I care."
Rimuru nodded and turned back to the goblins. "Very well, I will come to your village. Lead the way."
"You have our deepest gratitude, great one!" all the goblins exclaimed, bowing in unison. And so, the goblins guided Rimuru and Veldora to their village.
******
Meanwhile, at the Goblin Village...
"I hope they come back alive," an old goblin said as he paced at the entrance of the goblin village. Some time ago, all the villagers had felt a strong aura coming from the forest. As the village chief, he had sent his younger son and other goblins into the forest to investigate and, if possible, bring whoever was producing this strong aura back to the village. But now, he was gripped with fear, imagining all the possible dangers they might encounter in the forest.
However, his anxiety was interrupted when he noticed goblins returning to the village. And they weren't alone; they had brought two individuals with them. One was a muscular man with blonde hair who seemed disinterested in his surroundings, and the other was a blue-haired demon who was engaged in conversation with his son, emitting a similar aura to what they had felt earlier.
Setting aside his worries, the village chief hurried toward the newcomers, greeting them. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he dashed inside the village to make preparations for their reception.
After guiding the guests to the best hut they had in the village, the village chief went to speak with them. However, when he entered, he was shocked. The guests were seated on chairs made from a shiny-looking material. He didn't recognize the material, but he was certain it was something far beyond their means, even if they pooled every Dwarven Coin they had.
"Where did these chairs come from?" his son murmured, his voice filled with awe and astonishment.
"I made them," the blue-haired demon replied.
"Made them?" the old goblin asked in astonishment.
"Yeah, don't concern yourself with it," the blue-haired individual dismissed the matter with a wave of their hand. "By the way, my name is Rimuru Tempest, and this is my brother Veldora Tempest."
Once again, their eyes widened upon hearing the blonde-haired man's name.
"Rimuru-sama, please don't take offense, but isn't it risky for your brother to use Veldora-sama's name?" the goblin with the red bandana cautiously inquired. "Even if he has temporarily vanished, we believe he will return one day, and I'm not certain he'd appreciate someone, especially a human, using his name."
"Huh? What's all this about?" Veldora tilted his head in confusion. "I am mi—" However, before he could complete his sentence, Rimuru rested a hand on his shoulder and gave a subtle wink. While Veldora wasn't entirely sure of Rimuru's intentions, he grasped that Rimuru didn't want him to disclose his true identity.
"You don't need to worry about my brother. Even if you can't sense it, I can assure you that he is neither human nor weak," Rimuru replied, redirecting their attention away from Veldora. "Besides, for you to invite us here, there must be something you want, right?"
Upon hearing Rimuru's words, the elderly goblin and his son exchanged glances for a moment before immediately prostrating themselves before him.
"Oh great one, forgive our impudence, but will you please hear our request?" the old goblin asked. Rimuru nodded in response. "As I mentioned earlier, Veldora-sama, the dragon god that protected this place, vanished without reason. As a result, monsters seeking to expand their territories have begun attacking weaker creatures like us."
"So, who is attacking you?" Rimuru inquired, getting straight to the heart of the matter.
"Direwolves," the old goblin replied. "They are formidable opponents. Even if ten of us were to face a single one, victory is far from guaranteed," he said, lowering his head. "There are nearly a hundred of them, and we have only sixty who can go into battle, including females."
"Obtaining information on the direwolves came at a great cost – the life of my brother, Rigur," the goblin with the red bandana added. "He had received a name from the Majin and was a formidable warrior in our village. Despite that..."
"My son... I am proud of what he did for our village," the old goblin said. "And even though fate often dictates that the weak meet their end, we want to survive, if only to honor my son's sacrifice." He concluded as he and his son both bowed before Rimuru once again.
"Great speech, really moved my heart, but..." Rimuru began, his face devoid of emotion. "What do I get in return for helping you? What can you offer that will make it worth my time?"
The village elder pondered for a moment before responding, "Mighty one, we will pledge our unwavering loyalty to you! From this very moment, our entire village will serve under you."
Rimuru maintained silence for a brief moment, letting the old goblin's offer hang in the air before responding, "Very well, I accept your loyalty!" Rimuru said, smiling at them. He then produced a barrel full of healing potions next to him. "And as a reward for becoming my subordinates, here's a barrel of healing potions. Use them to tend to the wounded goblins."
Upon hearing this, both the father and son beamed with gratitude. Without delay, the goblin with the red bandana summoned other goblins to assist in transporting the barrel to the injured goblins.
"Oh, great one! You have our deepest gratitude!" the elderly goblin who remained in the hut bowed again, showering Rimuru with praise.
"Listen, just drop the 'Great One' and call me Rimuru," Rimuru told him.
"Of course, Rimuru-sama! As you wish," the old goblin agreed, immediately changing the way he addressed Rimuru.
"Now, about the wolves..." Rimuru said, a devilish grin spreading across his face. "I think I have an idea for dealing with those pups."
******
In the Jura Forest, under the light of the full moon...
"What a splendid moonlight," the leader of the direwolves remarked, gazing at his pack, all of whom wore menacing grins. "Those weaklings no longer enjoy the protection of the Evil Dragon. Tonight, we shall exterminate that goblin village, marking the first step in our conquest of the Great Jura Forest!" He declared as the wolves responded with resounding howls of agreement.
And so started their march towards the goblin village and in just a matter of minutes, they arrived at the goblin village, only to find Rimuru standing in front of the gate, with goblins cautiously peeking out from behind huts.
As soon as their eyes fell upon Rimuru, they realized that the figure before them was undeniably strong. It wasn't just the dangerous aura radiating from this individual; it was the primal instincts within the wolves, screaming at them to flee as far away as possible without looking back. Unfortunately, the leader of the direwolves was a creature of pride, valuing his own arrogance over his instincts.
Thus, the leader stepped forward and inquired, "Who are you? And why are you protecting those weaklings?"
"I am Rimuru Tempest, and the goblins you seek to attack are under my protection," Rimuru declared firmly. "You have two options: either submit to me or bid farewell to your insignificant lives." As he spoke, Rimuru released even more of his imposing aura, causing the wolves to tremble where they stood.
"Father, I think we should reconsider," the leader's son attempted to warn him.
The son of direwolf leader and the next leader of the pack was quite unique looking when compared to other wolves He had regions of bluish-silver fur surrounding his neck, his snout, and the ends of his limbs and tail, unlike the purely dark-periwinkle coat of the other direwolves. Also, he has a noticeable star mark on his forehead formed by a darker color of fur.
"Shut up!" the pack leader yelled at his son. "We are mighty direwolves; we do not submit to anyone." Despite his words, he knew deep down that he stood no chance against the Majin before him. However, Rimuru's next words brought a sinister grin back to the wolf leader's face.
"I suppose you've made your decision," Rimuru said with a casual shrug. "But engaging in a personal fight with you would be overkill. How about this instead: you and I each choose one fighter from our side for a fair duel?"
'Hahaha! What a fool!' the wolf leader thought to himself, his smile growing wider. 'A goblin versus a wolf! Well, it will be entertaining to tear that weakling apart.'
"I have no objections," the wolf leader responded and stepped forward. "I nominate myself as our champion since I am the most powerful among our pack."
"From our side, I choose... Rigurd," Rimuru declared. From behind him emerged the old village chief, but he was no longer the feeble, scrawny goblin he had been. After Rimuru had named him, the old goblin had undergone a transformation, evolving into a hobgoblin with a tall, robust, muscular physique.
The goblins erupted in cheers as their former chief confidently strode toward the battlefield. In stark contrast, the wolves regarded him with shock and awe, their eyes widened, and their mouths agape. They couldn't fathom how such a formidable presence had suddenly appeared in the village.
"Hey, what's the meaning of this!? I thought you were going to send one of those weak goblins from that village!" the wolf leader protested, addressing Rimuru.
"I never said I was going to send a goblin, did I? Besides, Rigurd here was the village chief of this village. I merely named him and facilitated his evolution," Rimuru explained, wearing an unimpressed expression. He then smirked and added, "Are you suggesting that the mighty leader of the direwolf pack can't handle a single hobgoblin?"
"You'll eat your words, bastard when I tear this weakling limb from limb," the wolf leader retorted while gritting his teeth as he and Rigurd positioned themselves in the center of the battlefield.
"Leader of the direwolves, do you happen to remember another Hobgoblin who was killed in your territory a few days ago?" Rigurd inquired.
"Oh, I remember that one!" the wolf leader replied with a grin. "The weakling thought he could take us on just because he had a few more magicules than the other goblins. But I must admit, tearing him apart was quite enjoyable, even compared to the other goblins we've killed."
"I see..." Rigurd replied, assuming his fighting stance. "Come at me whenever you're ready."
The wolf leader wasted no time and immediately rushed toward Rigurd at full speed. In mere seconds, he was right in front of Rigurd, leaping to bite his neck. However, much to the wolf leader's surprise, before he could reach Rigurd's neck, a swift punch from Rigurd landed on his face, sending him hurtling backward and breaking one of his fangs in the process.
With trembling legs, the wolf leader struggled back to his feet, staring at Rigurd with wide eyes. 'This doesn't make any sense! How can this mere hobgoblin be this strong?' he wondered. And the wolf leader wasn't entirely wrong; typically, a hobgoblin named by a regular Majin would become strong, but not strong enough to overpower an experienced and battle-hardened direwolf.
However, what the wolves didn't realize was that Rimuru, who had named Rigurd, couldn't be considered 'normal' by any standard. Not only did Rimuru possess higher-quality magicules, but he also had Ciel, who could directly influence and determine the strength of Rimuru's named monsters. Moreover, Rigurd was a creature with tremendous potential and a strong desire to grow. When all these factors combined, the result was an exceptionally powerful monster, even if he appeared to be just a hobgoblin to an outsider.
Returning to the fight, the wolf leader pushed aside his thoughts and once again rushed to attack. However, just like before, he was met with punches to the face, again and again, and again. This punishing cycle repeated until finally, the bloody and bruised wolf leader could barely stand on his feet.
The wolf leader's condition had deteriorated so severely that some wolves from his pack even attempted to rush to his aid. However, a single stern glance from Rimuru made them retract their intent, causing them to drop their tails and freeze in place.
"Give up, leader of the wolves," Rigurd implored, observing the pitiful state of the wolf leader. "Submit to our master, and neither you nor your pack need to die."
"Father, please listen to him," the wolf leader's son pleaded. "This is not a battle you can win."
"Shut... up...! You're my... son... How can you... say something so... disgraceful..." the wolf leader glared at his son, but his words were feeble given his weakened state. "We... mighty direwolves... don't-"
"[Black Flames]," Rimuru interrupted the wolf leader, summoning his flames to incinerate the pitiful wolf, reducing him to ashes. "Rigurd, I'm proud of you. Despite what happened with your son, you still showed him kindness. But the fool was too prideful for his own good," Rimuru commented with a frown.
Rimuru then turned his attention toward the remaining wolves and asked, "So, what will you do now? Will you submit to me, or will you choose to go your own way?"
The unique-looking wolf, now the leader of the pack, approached Rimuru and lowered his head in a sign of submission. The other wolves, having witnessed the humiliating defeat of their previous leader, had no objections and followed suit, bowing before Rimuru.
"Great one, we all submit to your authority," the new leader declared, and the rest of the wolves howled in agreement.
"Excellent. Now, come inside the village," Rimuru instructed as he began walking. "Rigurd, make preparations for these wolves to rest. But first, gather everyone in the center of the village."
"As you wish, Rimuru-sama," Rigurd responded, swiftly gathering all the goblins and wolves in the center of the village, just as Rimuru had instructed. Meanwhile, Rimuru fashioned a throne for himself and took a seat, gazing upon the assembled creatures. As for Veldora, the evil dragon was within Rimuru's [Imaginary Space], training his ultimate skill.
"Listen, everyone, I've gathered you all here because I've decided to name each one of you," Rimuru announced. A wave of excitement and chatter swept through the gathered monsters, but it subsided instantly when Rimuru raised his hand.
"Is that really okay, Rimuru-sama?" Rigurd inquired. "Naming so many monsters will require a significant amount of magicules."
"No, that won't be a problem," Rimuru assured him. "Now, form a line," he instructed. Over the course of half an hour, he named all the goblins. As for the wolves, since they were a pack, he only needed to name their leader, Ranga, which would be sufficient to evolve the entire pack.
Once he had finished naming them, he addressed them again. "Now that I have named you, all of you will likely evolve tonight. Take this time to rest," he advised. Rimuru then began walking toward his personal hut but paused to speak with Rigurd. "Tomorrow, I want you to gather them here, just as you did today. There are some important matters I wish to discuss with all of you." After receiving Rigurd's confirmation, he continued on his way to his hut.
Once Rimuru was inside, he sat on his bed and sighed. "Well, it's regrettable that Ranga's father had to die, but I cannot allow someone like him to be a part of my nation because I am sure that sooner or later, he would have tried to instigate trouble within our borders."
<Master did everything in his power to spare that fool's life.> Ciel reassured him. <Master even told Rigurd to hold back and not kill him. That's why you shouldn't feel bad for someone like him.>
"You are right; there's no point in dwelling on something that has already happened," Rimuru said.
<I am always right, Master.>
"Yeah, I can't argue with that," Rimuru chuckled as Ciel activated sleep mode.
******
The next morning, when Rimuru arrived at the center of the village, he noticed that everyone had already gathered there, just as he had instructed them to. More importantly, as he had foreseen, all the monsters under his command had evolved, undergoing significant transformations.
The goblins had all evolved into hobgoblins. With the exception of Gobata, they now stood much taller than before, with the male goblins displaying well-defined muscles, while the females had become more attractive and elegant. Gobata on the other hand remained short and annoying as usual.
The wolves, previously Direwolves, had evolved into Tempest Wolves. Their brown fur had turned jet black, and they had grown to a length of ten feet. Ranga, in particular, had a unique appearance with a horn protruding from below the center of the star on his forehead. His limb ends were covered in green socks, divided into sections of roughly equal size, leaving his paws exposed. Additionally, he had gained the ability to control his size, allowing him to shrink to the size of a normal direwolf or even that of a regular dog.
'Hey, Ciel, correct me if I'm wrong, but last time not everyone evolved into a hobgoblin, right?'
<Indeed, Master. Last time, [Great Sage] prioritized evolving only those individuals who would be most beneficial to you, as you were using Veldora's magicules after exhausting your own. However, this time, you didn't have such limitations, so I evolved all of them.>
'Ahh, that makes sense,' Rimuru thought as he took his seat on the throne, with Ranga and Rigurd standing on either side of him.
"Well, first of all, congratulations on your evolutions," Rimuru began, and the crowd thanked him in unison. "Now, let's move on to the important part. As you can see, our village has grown considerably, so I am going to establish some rules that all villagers must follow," Rimuru explained. "The first rule: No infighting. I don't care what kind of problems arise; you are not allowed to resort to violence against another villager. If a dispute arises, you can bring it to Rigurd, who will help you resolve it without resorting to violence. If Rigurd cannot find a solution, I will personally intervene."
"The second rule: Do not look down upon other races, even though you have evolved. Remember that once, you were just like them. Furthermore, if they need protection, you can bring them to our village, but only if they possess some talent or skill that could benefit our village."
"The third rule: Do not initiate attacks against sentient creatures. You are still permitted to hunt non-sentient creatures for food and materials. However, remember that regardless of who they are—be they humans, monsters, demons, or dragons—if they attack first, you should show them no mercy and beat them within an inch of their lives but also try to capture them alive whenever possible, as a living prisoner is more valuable than a dead one."
"Now, let's move on to the next topic," Rimuru continued after establishing the rules. "After all of you completed your evolutions, you must have noticed that you now possess information in your heads based on your talents and interests." He glanced around, and almost everyone nodded. "I want all of you to utilize that knowledge and start developing our village. If your talent is not currently applicable, then lend your assistance wherever you can. Is that clear?" He received unanimous agreement. "Rigurd, I am appointing you as the chief. Supervise the projects and inform me if you encounter any difficulties."
"Of course, Lord Rimuru! You can count on me!" Rigurd responded enthusiastically. He immediately began assigning tasks, while Rimuru reclined on his throne, thinking, 'Interacting with people can be quite draining.'
<Despite your complaints, it seemed like you were enjoying yourself, Master.>
'Well, of course, compared to paperwork, instructing people is much more enjoyable,' Rimuru replied.
<If you say so, Master. But what do you plan to do next?>
'I think I'll take it easy for a few days and observe if implanting knowledge of construction and sewing truly works or not,' Rimuru explained. Then a mischievous smile spread across his face. 'After that, let's go pay a visit to our old friend, Gazel.'
To be continued...
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