(Attendances… plz…)
….
With the decision made, Rimuru and Reinhard stepped out of the hut and into the warm, golden light of the setting sun.
"Well then," Rimuru said, his voice now filled with a cheerful, almost bubbly pride that hadn't been there before. "Let me show you our little village."
Reinhard followed the wobbly, bouncing slime as it led him through the heart of the bustling clearing.
The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long, peaceful shadows from the half-built huts and the rough-hewn wooden fences.
The air was filled not with the tense silence of a monster den, but with the lively, comforting sounds of a community.
Goblins were talking and laughing as they worked, their voices mixing with the steady rhythm of hammers and the scrape of saws.
If you closed your eyes and ignored their green skin, you could almost believe you were in a pioneering human settlement.
They approached a structure that was larger and more open than the others, a simple workshop with a roaring forge at its center.
Heat radiated from it in visible waves, and the repetitive, forceful clang… clang… clang of a hammer striking hot metal echoed through the clearing.
"Blacksmiths?" Reinhard asked, his voice filled with genuine interest.
"Yup!" Rimuru replied, his slime body jiggling with excitement. "Well, to be honest, I didn't expect to get dwarven blacksmiths at all! That part was just pure, dumb luck. But I managed to recruit the best blacksmith brothers in all of Dwargon, and now they actually live and work here."
"Let's not disturb them," Reinhard said quietly, seeing the intense focus on the dwarves' faces as they hammered a piece of glowing metal into the shape of a sword. "I think they're busy."
"Yeah, you're right," Rimuru agreed, bouncing away from the workshop. "Well, to continue, over here is where we're building the new houses for all the goblins."
He pointed with a little nub of his slime body, a gesture that was surprisingly effective, toward an area dotted with half-finished wooden frames and neatly cleared-out plots of land.
He then gestured to another section of the village, where a pack of large, gray-furred wolves were resting.
"And those are the Direwolves, but it seems you already know about them. They help the goblins with hunting and patrol the edges of the village to keep us safe."
As they toured the small but steadily growing village, Reinhard didn't ask many questions.
He just listened, his expression calm and observant, as Rimuru, with an enthusiastic pride he couldn't quite hide, explained all the different parts of his new home.
He was clearly happy to show off how much his village was progressing, how his people were thriving.
They moved slowly, Reinhard taking in the sights with a quiet appreciation. Goblins, creatures he had only ever known as simple-minded monsters, were working together, helping each other lift heavy logs, their movements coordinated and purposeful.
And among them were the children. Cute little goblins, "helping" in their own way by getting underfoot, their energetic laughter and their adorable attempts to act tough and grown-up bringing smiles to the faces of the adults. It was… peaceful.
A kind of simple, honest laugh of theirs that was soothing to the mind.
Just as they were passing a group of playing children, one of them, a little goblin girl with a bright red ribbon tied around one of her pointed ears, was accidentally pushed by her friends.
She stumbled sideways with a small cry and bumped right into Reinhard's leg, falling to the ground in a heap.
The little girl looked up at the tall, red-haired human looming over her, and her eyes went wide with a sudden, instinctual fear.
Reinhard simply bent down, his movements slow and gentle so as not to frighten her further, and picked up the small, crudely carved wooden toy that had fallen from her hand.
He knelt down to her level, helping her to her feet with a steady hand. He then held out the wooden toy to her.
"I believe this is yours," he said with a soft, reassuring smile. "Little Lady."
The little girl shook her head, clutching her hands behind her back. The action confused Reinhard; he was sure he had seen the toy fall from her hand. "I-it's not for me," she stammered, her voice a tiny whisper.
"Oh," Reinhard said, his expression softening with understanding. "Then is it a gift for someone?" He continued gently, "Can I know who it's for, if you don't mind?"
The little girl, still a bit shy but no longer scared, gave a small nod. She then pointed a tiny, green finger past Reinhard's shoulder. "It's for Lord Rimuru," she whispered. "I wanted to gift him the toy. So that he can play with it."
Reinhard's smile widened. He looked from the little girl to the slime, who was wobbling patiently a few feet away. "Then don't you want to give it to him?"
He placed the wooden toy back in her small hands and stood up, moving aside to give her a clear, unobstructed path to Rimuru.
The little girl, clutching the wooden toy in both hands, made her way to Rimuru.
She fidgeted for a moment, her shyness getting the better of her, but after a few seconds of gathering her courage, she held out the gift and shouted, "I… I want to give you this, Lord Rimuru! Thanks for giving us a home!"
It was the kind of pure, innocent moment that could melt even the coldest of hearts. Rimuru gently took the toy with one of his slime tendrils, then patted her softly on the head.
"Thanks for the gift kid," he said, his voice warm and kind. "I like it a lot. And you don't have to thank me for something like that. Now, go and play with your friends. Otherwise, you won't grow big."
The little girl beamed, a wide, happy smile spreading across her face. "Ah, yes, Lord Rimuru! I will play a lot and then get big and then help you more and give you more gifts!" And with that, she spun around and ran off to rejoin her friends, her mission accomplished.
Rimuru let out a mental chuckle as he watched her go. Yeah, yeah, get big and give me more gifts. It was probably the first time he'd ever received a gift from a girl, even if it was just a kid.
And seeing them all playing so happily, without a care in the world, just as children should… it made him feel genuinely happy about all of what he is doing.
"They sure do like you a lot, huh?" Reinhard said with a smile.
"Yup!" Rimuru replied. "Hahaha, can't really deny that fact, can I?"
Their tour was cut short by a shout from the center of the village. "Reinhard! Over here, Reinhard!" Ellen was waving at him, a piece of grilled fish held triumphantly in her hand.
Reinhard and Rimuru made their way over to the large bonfire where the rest of the party was gathered. Rigurd approached from the side, bowing respectfully.
"Sir Reinhard," the hobgoblin chief said. "The food is ready, if you would like to eat now."
The trio and Shizue were already enjoying freshly grilled fish and roasted meat, the smell delicious on the cool evening air.
Reinhard turned to Rigurd. "Thank you for everything. But you can drop the 'sir.' Just Reinhard is enough."
"But you are Lord Rimuru's guest!" Rigurd protested, looking scandalized. "How could I address you just by your name? It is just…"
"Okay, okay," Reinhard interjected with a good-natured laugh. "You don't have to look so startled. If 'sir' is more comfortable for you, you can use it." He then turned to Rimuru, who was just wobbling beside the fire. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"Nah," Rimuru said. "I can't taste anything. And I don't really need to eat, to be honest. So me eating would just be like drinking tasteless water. It would be a waste. But don't worry, you all should enjoy."
"Oh," Reinhard said, looking genuinely sympathetic. "That sounds bad. You're missing out on so much."
Rimuru's non-existent eye twitched. Just eat, damn it! Don't rub salt in my wounds man! He wanted to eat. He wanted to taste savory meat and sweet fruit again after months of nothing. Maybe, someday, he'd gain the ability to taste again.
"Well, you all should enjoy," he said, changing the subject. "I'll be going now. I have something to discuss with the others."
"Ah, okay," Reinhard replied, taking a piece of fish from Ellen.
….
A/N: So, How was it?! So guys weekly ranking is reset. So, you already know what to do, send those power stones of yours, and lets stay at power stone ranking top5 this time... maybe. Lets aim for 499 power stones.
What is better than a slice of life chapter before going to sleep. I was thinking of writing a shizue and reinhard interaction in this. But then decided to write a slice of life chapter after 30 chapters.
But dont worry, there will be shizue confronting reinhard in the next chapter about her doubts about reinhard so look forward to it.
Next two chapters are already on my discord.
Melatonin, spawn and many more on my discord … thanks for beta reading this fic and not to mention suggestions too.
Hoped you all liked the chapter and all.
And if you want to read ahead you can do it by just joining my discord server.
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